WTF IS SKYDIO R1?

That thing looks… intimidating.

Do not be afraid. This is the autonomous Skydio R1, quite possibly the smartest drone ever. Most pro flyers are capable of basic obstacle avoidance, sure, but the R1 employs 13 cameras to build a 3D map of the world around it in real time. This way it’s able to dodge trees, buildings and presumably terrified dog-walkers at high speed, all while capturing your extreme exploits in super-sharp 4K at 30fps. And it does so without any interference from you. Wherever you go, this supercomputer-powered airborne action cam will follow.

This sounds useful. I’ve crashed more drones than I’ve eaten biscuits.

Exactly. The R1 does have some manual control options, but try as you might, it won’t let you bash it up. Its autonomous instincts are impossible to disable, and the fact that there’s no controller included at all suggests that Skydio wants you to leave navigation to the drone alone. It’s fool-proof, idiot-proof and berk-proof.

No controller, huh? This machine really doesn’t rate me as a pilot.

Launching is no more complicated than swiping upwards on the companion app’s screen – and it can take off straight from your hand if the ground’s not suitable. Drag the slider to tweak height and zoom, and tap the person you want it to follow on screen… as long as being pursued by an acrobatic UAV isn’t going to distract them from negotiating that tricky trail.

What else does it do?

In-app, you can also land the drone (useful) and choose from a number of cinematic shooting modes. And you can ask the R1 to follow, lead the way, track you from side-on, or orbit around you as you near the summit of your lung-busting 50-metre hike.

Any downsides?

Well, 16 minutes of flight time between charges isn’t breaking any records, and it’s a shame you can’t expand the 64GB of online storage. The R1 doesn’t like water either, so you won’t be immortalising any of your wakeboarding fails. Still, it could be something of a game-changer for aerial videography. Watch the skies…