- The Antigravity A1 drone has just been officially announced
- It can shoot 8K 360 footage with first-person flight
- The drone has a sub-250g weight for restriction-free flying
Today sees the official announcement of the Antigravity A1 drone – and it’s a bit of a game-changer.
Billed as the world’s first 360 drone, the A1 is a small, lightweight flying camera with similar 360-shooting skills to an Insta360 X5. And no wonder, given that it’s been co-developed by Insta360.
Our cameras editor Tim Coleman has already had some hands-on time with the drone, and you can read his initial Antigravity A1 impressions – but if you just want the straight need-to-know facts on the drone, we’ve assembled the key info below.
1. It’s the world’s first 360 drone (sort of)
Antigravity are touting the A1 as the world’s first 360 drone, and that’s correct – technically, at least. It is the first all-in-one 8K 360 drone to be announced as of the time of writing.
It has, however, been possible to add 360 video capture to certain DJI drones via the Insta360 Sphere, a 2022-released accessory that works in much the same way as the A1’s camera setup.
It’s fair to say that the Sphere was Insta360’s precursor to what we’re seeing in today’s A1 launch – but far less polished. You can see what our resident drone expert James Abbot made of it in his hands-on Insta360 Sphere review.
2. It flies a lot like the DJI Avata
The Antigravity A1 is designed to be flown using the Vision goggles and Grip controller, which sound a lot like the user-friendly FPV flying method pioneered by the DJI Avata and Avata 2.
Manual FPV flight is a highly tricky skill to master, and mistakes can spell a catastrophic plunge into the ground. But the Avata’s method of using a head-tracking controller and motion-tracking sensor – just point the on-screen target where you want the drone to fly – made FPV-style flight a lot simpler and a lot less risky.
The A1 seems to take a similar approach, but with less speed than the Avata. In our hands-on preview, Tim Coleman described the resulting flight experience as “child’s play”:
“Use the joystick to point the little ‘+’ symbol to where you want to fly and the drone adjusts its path. Motion also works – point the controller up to ascend, extend it sideways to turn, and so on. It’s not quite FPV flight thrills, especially given the drone’s modest top speeds, but it is a fine introduction to drone piloting.”
3. You’ll need an app to create shareable videos
With a traditional camera drone, the video is wherever you’ve pointed the camera. With the A1, everything around it is recorded, so you’ll need to point the (virtual) camera in post-production.
This is done with an app. In a pre-release event, Tim turned to the Insta360 Studio app, which will be familiar with users of the Insta360 X5 and other X series cameras, to reframe his 360 footage into dynamic camera moves. You can use the app to flip the horizon, create a “tiny planet” by zooming right out, or put the viewer in the pilot’s seat by using an FPV-style angle.
Insta360’s mobile app will presumably also be compatible, and if so, you can expect AI-assisted editing too. This takes over shot selection, reframing, transitions and even adds background music, serving up a shareable clip in a matter of seconds.
4. It doesn’t skimp on safety
The A1 is designed with new drone pilots and families in mind, and as such comes with obstacle avoidance and automatic return-to-home to ensure it doesn’t fall foul of aerial mishaps. It even includes a payload detector that prevents take-off if unauthorized modifications or extra weight is added.
And there’s good news for those who want extra protection. Antigravity has also informed us that it’s working on propeller guards for the A1, which will be available as an optional accessory.
5. It will launch globally in January 2026 – but the price remains TBC
Antigravity is remaining tight-lipped about the final pricing, launch bundles and regional availability of the A1, but will say that it’s scheduled to launch “globally” in January of next year.
That’s a long time to wait, but in the meantime the company is running a “co-creation project”, inviting creators to submit their best ideas for how to use the drone and its capabilities.
Successful applicants will be sent a pre-release A1 drone to test and use for content creation, and will have the chance to win a share of a $20,000 prize fund.
You might also like
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nVYs3VznjvD4ySLGCbd4C9.jpg
Source link
