Yuneec Typhoon H first mass market drone with Intel collision avoidance

Serious opposition to DJI, the Yuneec Typhoon H raises the bar in the prosumer drone market. Unveiled at CES by Intel Brian Krzanich it negotiated an obstacle course live on stage. To do that it uses Intels RealSense to map the area in which it is flying in real time.

Also important, to me anyway as I live hot and high, its a hexacopter. It will be happier than a quad where I live. It also means that it can get home in time for tea and medals if it looses a single engine. Many DJI Inspire and Phantom pilots discover that’s not an option for them.

Joins a bit of trend, the Hexo+, Cyphy LVL1 are also hexacopters. I would not be surprised if regulators did not start demanding some redundancy in flight systems the hexacopters will have an advantage.

Yuneec International, the world leader in electric aviation, today announced the expansion of its Typhoon series with the unveiling of the Typhoon H, a new category of drone for the enthusiast. Driven by customer demand for a more sophisticated drone, the Typhoon H delivers capabilities previously only found in high-end professional offerings, but at a consumer price. The Typhoon H is equipped with six rotors, a 360-degree gimbal camera and retractable landing gear at an unprecedented price of $1,799 with Yuneec’s standard of being ready, easy and safe to fly.

The 360-degree gimbal with the new CGO3+ camera allows unlimited panning for breathtaking 4K videos and 12 megapixel stills. In addition, the landing gear retracts during flight to seamlessly remove itself from the shot for unobstructed views. The Typhoon H adds new flight and image capture modes including Point of Interest, Orbit, Curved Cable and Journey. Innovative new safety features include ultrasonic proximity detection to assist in avoiding large obstacles, and a failsafe system which allows Typhoon H to remain stable and land if a motor should fail.

“A central part of our mission is to bring new and advanced creative possibilities within the reach of everyone,” said Yu Tian, chief executive officer of Yuneec International. “We’ve engineered the Typhoon H to redefine what customers should expect to pay for a drone with such an array of professional features. At this price point, no other drone comes close to the Typhoon H in terms capability and value.”

An additional benefit is the compact and user friendly design of the Typhoon H. Quick disconnect props allow speedy removal from the motors, and each rotor arm quickly folds down from its flight position for easy and compact transportation using a custom-designed hardcase/backpack. Carbon fiber is used extensively to decrease weight while increasing durability.

The Typhoon H comes with the professional quality Android-based ST16 controller, which has a large 7-inch integrated display and HD 720p video downlink for stunning real-time  video reception.

With the ability to add mission-specific modules, the Typhoon H is the next generation platform for enthusiasts and professionals.  Planned add-ons include a high performance collision avoidance module based on Intel® RealSense™ Technology and an advanced IR camera module.

The Typhoon H maintains the Typhoon family’s focus on safety with features such as Geo-fencing, Variable Speed Control, Dynamic Return Home, Low-Battery Return Home and FAA No Fly.  The Typhoon H will be available for the suggested retail price of $1,799 USD. For more information visit www.yuneec.com. The Typhoon Q500 family of drones will also continue to be available starting at the suggested retail price of $899.99.