DJI drones have become the darling of both aspiring and established photographers and cinematographers thanks to excellent video and image quality, ease of use, integrated safety features, and affordable pricing. The company's latest aircraft, the Matrice M200, isn't designed for artistic pursuits. Instead it's intended for professional environments—DJI hopes to see it utilized for structural inspections, mapping applications, search and rescue, and other applications where an unmanned aircraft can come in handy. The company hasn't yet set pricing, but has stated that the M200 will be available in several configurations at varying costs.

Design

The M200 is a big quadcopter with rotors that extend out from its body on carbon fiber arms. The arms fold in for storage, making transport a bit more practical. Two white domes protrude from the top—they communicate with the remote control.

The drone itself has an integrated camera and obstacle avoidance system on its nose. It's the same wide-angle, gimbal-stabilized front-mounted camera as on the Inspire 2. It's used for a pilot to navigate when a second operator is controlling an attached camera. The M200 uses the same remote control system as the Inspire 2, and is compatible with DJI's forthcoming Goggles for FPV operation.

If you opt for the standard M200 configuration there is one downward-facing gimbal. It supports a number of removable cameras. They include the Zenmuse Z30, which features a 30x zoom lens and 1080p recording, the Zenmuse X4S, which has a 1-inch sensor and supports 4K, the Zenmuse X5S, a Micro Four Thirds shooter that also supports 4K, and the Zenmuse XT, a thermal camera developed in cooperation with Flir.

If you opt for the M210, which uses the same airframe, you'll be able to mount either two downward-facing cameras on dual front gimbals, or a single upward-facing camera. You can't use an upward and downward camera simultaneously, however. If you do opt for the up-facing camera, you'll need to install an external GPS receiver, as screwing a gimbal onto the top of the aircraft blocks the internal GPS.

A third configuration, the M210 RTK, is almost identical to the M210 in terms of features. It adds a system that allows for navigation with centimeter precision.

All configurations include redundant inertial measurement units (IMUs), barometers, compasses, and GPS systems. In addition to the forward-facing obstacle detection system, the aircraft also features downward obstacle avoidance and a top-mounted infrared sensor. The Matrice is rated IP43, so it can operate in light rain or misty conditions.

In a first for DJI, the drone has an ADS-B receiver. It picks up signals that are broadcast by all aircraft, and warns the operator if a plane or helicopter is approaching the area in which the drone is operating.

Despite supporting the advanced X4S and X5S cameras that work with the Inspire 2, the M200 doesn't have the same advanced cinematography features. Video is limited to H.264 and H.265 formats recorded to a microSD card. Uncompressed 5.2K recording is unavailable, as that requires a special SSD that is incorporated into the Inspire 2's airframe.

The Matrice is powered by two rechargeable batteries. With standard batteries installed, DJI estimates you'll get about 20 minutes of flight time with a single camera mounted and 15 with dual cameras. There are also larger batteries available, which extend the operating time to 35 minutes with a single-camera configuration. However, be aware that the capacity of the extended batteries exceeds the maximum capacity allowed to be carried on flights, so you'll need to use the smaller batteries when traveling with the M200.

Software Extensibility and Applications

The M200's feature set can be leveraged by software developers using the same SDK available for other DJI drones. A special app, DJI Pilot, will be released to pilot it, and pre-planned flights are possible using DJI's Ground Station Pro application. Ground Station Pro supports waypoint flight, 3D mapping routes, and geofencing.

DJI has several use cases in mind for the M200. These include infrastructure inspections—using the drone to safely inspect cell phone and radio towers, power lines, bridges, and other structures that are risky to physically navigate. DJI states that the aircraft can detect faults on the millimeter scale.

Attaching a thermal camera is useful for building inspections as well, detecting areas where heat is leaking from a structure. It can also be a life-saving tool. First responders can survey a fire from the air to determine hot spots in a burning structure, and searchers can spot the thermal signature of lost hikers when performing search and rescue missions from the air.

Conclusions

DJI's array of Mavic, Phantom, and Inspire drones are highly regarded among photographers and cinematographers. With the Matrice M200, it hopes to bring drones into more traditional industries. With aging infrastructure in need of constant monitoring and frequent repair, aerial inspections can make the process more efficient. Construction managers will be able to better track project process, and a thermal camera option provides first responders with a new tool to protect firefighters and locate lost persons. That can prove invaluable.

Availability and pricing haven't been announced yet, but we'll update this story as we learn more information.