DJI’s autonomous drone-in-a-box can now launch from moving vehicles

Feb 27, 2025 10:21 PM - 3 weeks ago 33422

Andrew Liszewski

Andrew Liszewski is a elder newsman who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2011, but has loved each things physics since he was a kid.

DJI has announced the 3rd loop of its drone-in-a-box solution designed for autonomous missions for illustration safely inspecting powerfulness lines and emergency response. As pinch erstwhile versions, the DJI Dock 3 is mini capable to beryllium transported successful the backmost of a pickup truck, but it’s the first that allows DJI’s caller Matrice 4D and Matrice 4TD drones to beryllium launched from a moving conveyance utilizing an optional gimbal equine accessory.

Although the institution hasn’t revealed really overmuch that typical equine for mobile launches will cost, the caller DJI Dock 3 will beryllium disposable successful 2 bundles priced for endeavor customers pinch sizable budgets. It tin beryllium purchased pinch the DJI Matrice 4D drone for $21,059, aliases pinch the Matrice 4TD for $23,409. Those prices don’t see installation, deployment services, aliases optional hardware upgrades and package features.

A drone hovering complete the DJI Dock 3.

The caller dock carries guardant respective features from erstwhile versions for illustration a built-in upwind station, antennas, surveillance cameras, and an soul backup battery. It still needs entree to powerfulness and the internet, but tin beryllium upgraded pinch a cellular 4G dongle for distant deployment.

The DJI Dock 3 has an improved IP56 standing for particulate and water-resistance and its operational somesthesia scope has been expanded to arsenic basking arsenic 50 degrees Celsius, aliases arsenic acold arsenic -30 degrees Celsius — though DJI says preheating will beryllium needed erstwhile temperatures are that cold.

It tin pass pinch drones connected missions arsenic acold arsenic 10 kilometers away, but that scope tin beryllium extended to up to 25 kilometers for fixed deployments (such arsenic connected a highrise building) done the usage of relays mounted astatine elevated locations. But that’s assuming your section jurisdiction allows drones to beryllium operated autonomously aliases astatine those distances. In the US, the FAA requires drone operators to get a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver for distant cognition astatine extended distances.

The DJI Matrice 4D and 4TD drones successful formation successful beforehand of towering powerfulness lines.

The Dock 3 is designed to activity pinch caller IP55-rated h2o and dust-resistant versions of the DJI Matrice 4 Series of drones that launched earlier this year. The Matrice 4D and 4TD some characteristic ant-ice propeller blades, 47 infinitesimal formation times, and a operation of wide-angle, mean tele, and telephoto cameras. The Matrice 4TD has expanded nighttime clip capabilities pinch the summation of an infrared thermal camera and a near-infrared auxiliary ray for added illumination.

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