Is the DJI Neo illegal? Why this drone is a rule-changer

DJI launched their newest drone, the Neo, this week. Its ability to fly fully autonomously, without any control link, places it into a new category that existing regulations are not ready for. In this video I discuss whether craft like the Neo deserve their own regulations or whether it might not be smarter to simply exempt them from all regulation and rely on other laws to manage any risk they may present to public safety.

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[mikeselectricstuff]

If a manned aircraft comes within range of a drone taking selfies, regs are the last of your problems!

[bobwhitewob]

Good to see you active Bruce. Stay healthy, stay safe.

[secretsix]

its got nothing to do with safety its the fact that the public can look at things the man don't want you to look at

[garryc]

Why give them ideas of making rules down to 150g? When 250g is way too restrictive and authauritarian as it is? Next they will focus on 20g whoops. I think there should be no rules for up to a 450mm except the general common sense recommendations we had before all this nonsense.

[TheSadButMadLad]

I wonder how the authorities would cope with someone flying a paper airplane in a crowd at a stadium?

[ciprizero]

You know, Neo is not the only drone with autonomous flight patterns. And I did not see in any laws mentioning you can’t do circles around you, follow me mode etc. Locations are mentioned, distances, vlos etc. So Neo doesn’t break any rules, the pilot can. Plus, a good advantage is its compatibility (probably in future updates we’ll get more devices compatible with the Neo) you can fly it as a cinematic drone, FPV . Its not meant for professionals, camera …well… I have it and I don’t think its awfull, its just ok, and I don’t think average users will care that much. I think Dji did a good job with this one and its a totally FAIR price. A better camera means more money, more storage and not everyone is interested in a drone with higher cost. They will for sure attract more people into this hobby, because of this price.
I showed this little drone to some people who have no ideea about drones and were impressed, and some considered buying one for themselves, or as a gift, or some waiting for Christmas. So this is a win. Honestly, camera is decent and usable. Me personally I love it just like I love my other Dji drones plus its far more portable.

[DyoGTS]

Yes, DJI has turned the sharpness and saturation way up for some reason, but once you turn this back down it is much better

[bjlbernal]

DJI sent you one, but the council intercepted and confiscated it. (Joking, maybe.)

[professionalidiots]

I got my Phantom 1 twelve years ago for my 40th birthday. I shelved it when the regulations started coming in because the information was so unclear.
Its such a shame as I do miss flying it.

[Grantgc]

You make a great point, as the chief remote pilot I had to ground our drone operation here in Australia because the drone my employer bought (not my decision) was too automated and had no manual operation. I look at the neo, and if you just buy it for use without the controllers then it's the same thing. The difference between our drone and the neo is 1.3kg, the neo can't hurt anyone

[idnz]

Our NZ drone rules are archaic! Time for a refresh with sensible rules that make sense.

[johnbritton]

Nice to see a video from Bruce but the rules we are not for safety, they are to clear the skies for drone delivery and to prevent you from seeing what the establishment is doing
😊

[hamshackleton]

I would have thought that - should a full-size aircraft be 'following' you amongst the trees, the pilot has bigger problems than a 'Neo' plastic flying camera! 🙂

[DonJoyce]

Yeah, for once the Canadian "just don't do anything stupid" rule is sensible and appropriate for drones under 250g.

[Alasdair-Morrison]

We can have autonomous EV cars/trucks on our roads that pose a greater magnitude of danger to the public than any drone could even come close too the same level of destruction as an EV.

[FPVwineUK]

Love how down to earth you are! Paranoia is so 2024!

[BerndFelsche]

Sub-250 should be free from regulation other than altitude and no-fly areas such as airports.

[meanmashine]

Som vanligt Bruce, så har du mycket intressanta samtalsämnen,

[BlairAir]

A manned aircraft flying at 30 meters? I would think you have bigger problems than getting the Neo out of the way. You can't fly it at 400 feet either unless you pair it with a controller. Agree that the cropping takes a lot from video quality. That's where a Mini 4 pro would make more sense. On Neo, turning sharpness and noise reduction down to -2 does help.

[NickStaib]

I might be wrong, but I heard the Neo sensor is 5k - specifically to allow for that very clever digital stabilisation in roll and yaw. As for why they chose the colour saturated "pop" look, as default, DJI claim that this is based on extensive customer research preferences. For a toy priced machine, I think the video quality is more than acceptable, though I'd prefer the option of 2.7k @ 60 as well.