I get what you're trying to say when you keep replying "Real world testing requires real world environments", Ken, but most drone pilots would look at that environment and simply say it's not suitable. And you proved it.
I purchased the Skydio with understand that it won't avoid wires and thin tree branches. Never the less I'm sorry about your crash, and I hope you're able to get it replaced. You did much better flying my Skydio 2 the day Christmas at the beach.
you are expecting Skydio to replace your R2 when they clearly said "Skydio 2 can’t see certain visually challenging obstacles. Do not fly around thin branches, telephone or power lines, ropes, netting, wires, chain link fencing or other objects less than ½ inch in diameter." on their site? you must be a special kind of stupid.
Much as I like Ken and almost everything he does I think this was pretty irresponsible. The drone should have been set to a minimum height that was above the wires. Looking forward to the next video.
I agree, seeing that size a wire at that speed through extreme fisheye lens is a lot to expect from a drone. I don’t think this one was Skydio’s fault.
@@BruceMallett I crashed my Mavic 1 into a wire, and I had to take the blame because I was in sport mode and the sensor was off: ruclips.net/video/aff35_DQWHA/видео.html Fortunately I had insurance. Now, that being said, Skydio's website says: "Skydio 2 can see everything in every direction with unprecedented resolution and clarity". Given that he was doing autonomous flying, they should replace the drone, otherwise Skydio could be dinged for false advertising.
@@KenHeron Agreed, but when they state all over their website to not fly around power/telephone wires, water or thin branches, you are putting it in a no win scenario. It's like taking that street bike on a rutted out jeep trail and saying the bike failed. Of course it would, you were using in a way not intended for use. If it failed when flying within the defined parameters, then a critique would be fair.
Ken, really enjoy your channel but I don’t get your position on the warranty. You must fly according to their safe guidelines to qualify for warranty and it says this: Skydio 2 can’t see certain visually challenging obstacles. Do not fly around thin branches, telephone or power lines, ropes, netting, wires, chain link fencing or other objects less than ½ inch in diameter. When you took off and I saw all the wires, I freaked. I understand real world testing but don’t you think all the wires were against their guidelines? If not I’m wondering why?
Drones continue to get into the wrong hands all the time sheesh! Maybe you should do some due diligence before you go flying and understand what this drone can and cannot do and it clearly states to avoid cable wires especially thin ones like the one it crashed into regardless of speed.. and not just cable wires but thin branches as well! You can go on their website and you can read all about the do's and don'ts.. Skydio should not be responsible for this..
@@KenHeron Nope, but I think you should be taking responsibility for your role here instead of trying to deflect. Did you bother to research the Skydio capabilities before you put it in the air? It's pretty clear from everything on their website that you should not fly it around power/telephone wires, thin branches or water. You set this up for failure from the start.
Yep, have seen an increasing amount of reviews saying it glitched and divebombed, or just completly dident detect small objects (in this case a power cable). The reality of it is these drones are amazing at flying themselves, meaning its nuts compaeing drones now to drones 4 years ago, but.... they aren't perfect, it's going to be a long while before skido, dji, or any drone company for that matter, makes a drone that can completly fly itself and be uncrashable. Anyways, great video, I am looking forward to more possible skido 2 vids!!
I've been testing this baby out for some time. Biggest thing I've discovered is everyone thinks it's only for tracking. That's wrong. I have almost retired my beacon and fly it manually more than I do for action stuff. And we all know I do a lot of action stuff. I have captured things in ways I could never do with all my dji drones using the skydio and in a way that has made flying drones more fun than it's been in years. I've not posted much on it due to being busy in life but it's coming. I think if it wasn't wifi and had an occusynch style connection and allowed me to dosabkenthe sensors for night flying or low light I'd sell my other stuff. Also in the papers that come with it they say it can not detect thin wires and branches. So real world test make sense if you're wanting to show that their paper work is indeed correct. ;)
@@factorypilot99 I agree. I do t blame people for thinking that's all.its good for since skydio is pushing that. I hope to show a side of this baby people are over looking and I hope to heck skydio watches and follows. If they tweaked two things this thing would be mind blowing more than it already is.
@@uptowndisco2 I cant blame ken either for not reading those papers when it's someone else's drone. It was the other guy who should know its limitations not ken. Ken was having fun with it, and he states it's a solid well made product in this video. Maybe he will have me on his thursday night live and share some of my findings about the skydio one of these weeks.
Skydio normally refuses to give replacements for cases of tracking on the street and then hitting the power line, but now its Ken...well let's see what they will do about it.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment. I hadn't intended on buying a Skydio, but I will if I have to. Future video ideas... Hmmm...
I'd be surprised and impressed if they replace it. You took a quad you have limited experience with, knowingly put it up in the air right into the powere lines then proceeded down a public road with it into a residential neighborhood and crash. Great time to be posting run away drone/malfunction videos in the midst of the FAA wanting to ground us all lol.
I love you ken but what made you think it would do good around wires that small???? not the drones fault!! Lapse of good judgement on your part still love your videos keep up the good work
I don't think Skydio 2 will replace it for warning of flying near wires which there were many of crossing the road. Not the right place to fly autonomously at that low altitude. Why would you fly so low in the path of the wires? You could have raised the altitude up above the wires and mitigate all that risk. Bummer, I hope you don't get stuck flipping the bill for that one. But this will get you clicks....
@@KenHeron If the Skydio 2's only approved environment is a controlled environment without obstacle....then what use is it? Real world tests, like Ken's.....or any of the other popular creators, provide consumers with real world results. I applaud these types of tests because these are the locations consumers would need to fly in.
@@tnrockyraccoon all.my real world test have been pretty amazing. A few adjustments by skydio on this model and it would be even more of a game changer than it already is. Currently it's not suppose to avoid thin branches or thin wires. One day we will get there.
@@KenHeron Not real world testing when operating outside the design parameters for real world use. But my guess is that you did not read or properly familiarize yourself Skydio 2's operating manual. Copied from manual: "Skydio 2 can’t see certain visually challenging obstacles. Do Not fly around thin branches, telephone or power lines, ropes, netting, chain link fencing or other objects less than 1/2 inch in diameter."
Dang! My thought is that the high speed and small object (power line) were a bad combination. It may have been able to avoid it at a slower speed, but that’s just a theory. How fast were you going when it hit the power line?
@Ready Set Drone yep, think you are probably right. You can see the crotch rocket take off and the Skydio speed up and try to keep up. At that speed, and that wire. Nah.
They claim in the instructuons it can't see thin branches and small.power lines. I've seen people get lucky but also those two things have been what I see takes it down the most. Maybe I should share with ken some of my footage and sit on thursday night live and discuss this baby further. Has some amazing potential people dont realize.
@@Northstar-Media you obviously do not have one. This thing is pretty amazing. I've been flying mine for test and mostly with the controller. Captures things in a way I just can't with all my other drones.
I hit some bare branches today with mine, and the Skydio did a couple of flips, but RECOVERED, and went into HOVER mode. It was no longer tracking me, but I used the Beacon to bring it down and start all over again. I was surprised that it recovered as nicely as it did, at a height of about ten metres.
At the speed it was traveling, I don't know of any sensor that could've detected the smaller cable in time. I flew my S2 this weekend for the 1st time. I performed several controlled tests to learn its boundaries and gain confidence in its capabilities. I was tempted to take it down an old country road near our farm but it didn't seem like the right thing to do, especially being new to it. I guess watching YT is one way of understanding the limits. Thanks Ken for being the anti-pattern. I or anyone else has no business being on a public road with this or any other drone.
@@KenHeron You clearly failed to recognise the potential hazards in your flying area. Your top priority as an rc pilot is to fly safely and that's incompatible with having drones hit such an obvious obstacle and drop out of the sky in front of oncoming vehicles. The onus to fly safely is on you - not on the manufacturer.
@@seafax Gotta agree with you on this. Violation of Part 107 PIC to avoid safety hazards. FAA spin- "Drone pilot recklessly flies into critical infrastructure" video evidence attached.
I think skydio is to blame. They didn't give him, the pilot, options to prevent it from hitting obstacles. This could have easily been prevented with a height ceiling set to below the height of the wires or any tall branches that the drone could hit. Skydio advertises the drone as having "trustworthy autonomy", if it is trustworthy, it shouldn't be hitting wires.
DJI can actually track more types of subjects than Skydio can, and can fly higher while tracking than the skydio can. So not sure the Skydio is as good as it could be.
That wasn't a wire... that was a string. No way computer vision could pick that up and plan to avoid it. I couldn't even see it with my eyes. Would have expected you to read the user guide before flying.
Another GREAT and amazing video my drone brother Ken. Fantastic review. I like this Bird, but honestly not my favorite. God bless brother and keep up the amazing JOB. have a great Sunday captain Heron. Thanks for all you do and please keep flying.
You really can’t expect a drone to be able to detect small wires like that, just be aware of your surroundings and make sure it won’t run into anything that’s not a large object
Ken Heron a responsible pic knows their drones limitations and avoids stuff like this. I get that you are testing the drone but it says in the papers that it can not detect small wires and such. To be fair I think the test should have been done in a non residential area away from houses and power lines. Love the channel btw not trying to be a hater
Will be interesting to see if they replace it. It would make another precedence for others when you crash hitting objects less then 1/2" in diameter. The warranty clause that drone won't be replaced for any reason if it ends up in water clearly also doesn't apply since they already replaced one for Billy Kyle.
Ken I appreciate the real world review. I am sure there will be others who will try the exact same scenario and may or may not get the same result. That wire was about the same thickness as many bare tree branches we encounter, so this is need to know information.
My Skydio crashed in the exact same manner. Following me on a motorcycle and hit a wire. I sent all the data into Skydio and they will not cover under warranty because they claim that wires are not covered under their crash guarantee. I have since sent the drone into them for an estimate on the repair but mine was worse than shown here, it ripped the camera off of the front and it was dangling by wires. I hope you have better luck with the warranty crash coverage than I did.
I foresee this being a common problem with power lines that they cannot correct with the limits of software and those sensors. This will lead to Skydio eventually getting fed up of sending out replacement drones and making some rules regarding where you can fly and still expect a guarantee to be honored. Thanks Ken! (Edit: come up to Johnson City in East Tennessee and check out our mountains and rivers.)
Nice bike Ken! I'm from the UK and we only get about 1 month of proper biking weather a year! Was just telling a fellow biker yesterday about the Skydio 2 and how it would be awesome for this exact purpose.... guess I won't be rushing out to buy one now! Thanks for making this vid to save us the pain! 😁
I wouldn't dismiss the Skydio 2 because of a fluke like this. It was performing like a champ until it was just overwhelmed. It'll be fine in an environment with fewer obstacles.
@@KenHeron thanks for the reply! I'd still like to get one... Think it would be great for some biking action! I have a local 1 mile circuit we do track days on. Would love to get a few laps of that on my Daytona from the Skydios point of view! I wonder if the manufacturer will look at some sort of fix for potential failures due to over head cables. You were very unlucky though!
I would love to hear autonomous car companies make this claim, when it ends up killing someone. This is totally on skydio. "Trustworthy autonomy" should be trustworthy.
This started out as a great idea, Maybe a bit of bad planning by not setting a little higher altitude? Or is that even an adjustable setting? Since I don't plan on buying a Skydio I've not done (or plan to do) all the spec and operation research. So I'm not poking fun like some others, It's a honest question. I do hope Skydio hooks you up though. Would have been a very cool video if the results were different. But since you totally TRASHED a Skydio it's in the running for awesome video. Thanks for sharing.
Agent К_видео If you watch the stretch of video prior to it hitting the thinnest top cable strung you can see it’s avoiding the “per spec” avoidable cables below. It’s not a fail safe and not perfect and not meant to replace a responsible RPIC with VLOS of the drone.
@@KenHeron Real World: No one: Professional Drone Pilots: RUclips Creators: Let's fly this drone in every possible scenario that NO ONE would actually ever do...ever...and claim we're testing it. #smdh
@Agent К_видео thin wires and branches are said in the book to NOT be seen. You can fly it lower or higher with the beacon hooked to the phone app. It opens up more options. However the fun with this baby actually is with the controller. Its blowing my mind. Skydio has two things they need to tweak. Well 3 really and this thing would be beyond mind blowing.
Caught a wire with my P4P. I manged to save it. It was luck on my part and ability to recover on the P4P's part. But, it could have very easily went the way of the Skydio. Enjoyed the video as usual. Appreciate the candid review. As someone who grew up on bikes (motocross, then street) Keep your head on a swivel and God Bless you, Ken.
A wire in the sky is very difficult for vision systems to get some distance data out from because it looks the same along its length. For example a three branch is easier because it has a lot of difference, features, for the vision system to recognize and match to what was recognized in the pictures before.
How hard is it to read the freaking manual? The avoidance cameras can't see thin wires, and that's what you hit. The drone is not designed to run above public roads with power lines. So, you took the drone into an environment that the manufacturer specifically warns you is not suitable, and the drone crashed. What do you expect? Maybe you can rig up some thin nets and watch it crash into them next.
This is precisely why I have asked for a height ceiling, when flying these kinds of scenarios. If skydio is going to say it is the pilot's fault for flying it near power lines, then they need to give pilots options to limit how high it will fly, so it won't hit branches in tall trees, or power lines.
That was a pretty tough test given the speed and the size of the wire but like you said this is a real world environment. I am not in the market for this type of drone but that failure would not stop me from purchasing one. Will be interesting to see Skydio's response.
My Mavic 2 zoom hit an inch in diameter power cable when flying backwoods I was surprised that the sensors didn't recognize it. DJI did send me a new drone, I am more careful now when flying near power lines. Great video Ken. 👍👍👍👍
OOOooooouuuuuch! Poor Skydio! Can't believe it done this to you.. i've seen some crazy footage with these things on the Ol youtube lately! Just your luck Ken
Ouch, although in defence of the Skydio 2 it would never be able to detect such a wire!! I'm still struggling to see the appeal of the Skydio 2 for anyone except for those like yourself, someone into cars/motorbikes, action sports or similar - when manually flown, it's a pretty basic aircraft in comparison to the Mavic 2. For the average 'drone consumer' it really shouldn't hold any appeal, we love flying and if the drone is doing the flying then we're not :) in addition, the autonomous tracking is far from cinematic, its hesitant and all over the place - good video Ken!
I've had the Skydio 2 for a couple of months. It should avoid stationary objects larger than 1/2" in diameter. Perhaps your wire was smaller. Seriously, stay away from wires and small branches with the Skydio. The faster you go, the less time Skydio has to decide how to avoid an object. I think it is rated for 36MPH max.
Unfortunately, when the skydio 2 is flying autonomously, skydio doesn't provide anyway to cap the height with a ceiling, so you prevent it from hitting wires or thin branches.
I got my skydio a few months ago and this is the one reason I'm hesitant to let it auto track. It does well with bushes/trees/etc... but doesn't seem to do well with power lines at all. I mean it makes sense, but still...
@@KenHeron well dang! I'm glad you told me! lol I still hope to meet you in person some day, I want your autograph on my mavic mini, if I ever get one, after all, it's your fault I'm a drone nutt! 🤣
Sometimes these things happen. There is a chance that in a woods environment it could hit a limb that small. I have seen this drone avoid all kinds of small obstacles in other videos. Could have been a fluke thing too, ya never know. Skydio can probably analyze the sensor data and see if it just failed to see the wire or if it couldn't quite deliver enough power to the motors to get it over the wire. It looked as though it was trying to get over it. That's a lot of real-time calculations going on. Just think of where we'll be in a few years if tech improvements continue on this type of real-time avoidance technology! (If the FAA doesn't shut us down). The autopilot will get better.
Definitely was operator error -- since the drone was actually not yours, more caution was required !! Very much like borrowing a car you dont go racing with it unless you can afford to REPLACE IT -- GET OUT YOUR WALLET -- NOT SKYDIO's FAULT!!!
WNY Outdoor Adventures, I’ll switch to Skydio from Mavic as soon as it properly avoids collision with wires and branches. What’s the point of this functionality if you can not rely on it anyway?
@@1exey Until you own one and then you can spew -- I have all the Mavics -- not the SAME at least skydio tries its best a mavic gets near an obstacle and the tracking is over -- I have videos of this and if you respect SPEED skydio can see the OBSTACLE TRUST ME along with CLEAN CAMERA LENSES -- it uses for the avoidance -- very easy to touch and need cleaned every flight -- but what would I KNOW MINE STILL FLIES
I misread the speed limit it was 20 mph not 25, and to add to that you sped up really fast just before the crash and I bet skydio does not control obstacle avoidance at those crotch rocket speeds.
This drone is amazing flying with the controller. I've been doing some series testing and people are using it wrong. Lol As much as I do action stuff for it to follow me it's so much more fun flying it manually. Those thin wires are crazy. Says in the book to not fly it through them.
that cable on the beginning was already REALLY Scary! do they replace an accident like this by warranty? if so this would be a nice failsafe thing to buy. even I am a DJI Fanboy
I have another question, does anyone know if the skydio drone can do a mapping flight to fly in a given environment better? Is it possible to give it a suggested path when flying at a specific difficult path and then continue with autonomous flying?
Seen quite a few crashes with the Skydio. If I remember Skydio notes that it may not detect wire lines. If Skydio does replace it. It is simply because you are a reviewer. Why else would you giggle so much after busting a $1000 drone. Especially a loaned one!!. We all do appreciate you reviews, but get real. If Skydio replaces this; then I hope all Skydio owners watch this video and make sure no matter what the circumstances are. They get a replacement. BTW still love your channel.
Yeah, but the fact that skydio knew that branches and power lines are it's Achilles heal, why in the world did they not provide height ceiling options?
I think I said to Ken once when you are in manual mode dont takeoff on an angle but the nice people at skydeo haven't picked up on this flaw well live and learn I say
Where I’m employed the school just bought two of these for the students. Instructor told me because you “can’t crash them”, this after the students crashed the spark the school bought last year. I’m pretty sure they purchased the replacement warranty.
Ken Heron the warranty states “never use public roads when using car follow” but I don’t think that applies to you since it was following a motorcycle! 😂
A Visual Observer and Pilot in Command will always be safer than some automated gizmo. These things just encourage you to find the failure point and at the worst possible moment.
Question, in a tracking requirement scenario like this, does the Skydio 2 allow you to specify a 'minimum altitude', so that as an operator you supply the tallest altitude at which power lines or other semi-visible objects exist?
Why would you or anyone for that matter choose a road with crossing power lines and overhanging trees? Also looks like a design flaw that allowed the battery to eject so easily upon impact, thus giving drone no chance to recover before hitting ground.
@@KenHeron Planning to have drone herk and jerk as it avoids trees and power lines isn't going to result in watchable footage. Obstacle avoidance shouldn't be part of a planned shot.
Hahaha real pilots win. Take that faa. Perhaps skydio could incorporate some type of overhead electrical recognition based off current code and best practices of utility contractors?
To accommodate big trucks, electric companies typically hang wire between 14 and 18' above the ground. Can the Skydio be programmed to follow at a minimum safe altitude of maybe 20 or 30 feet? That might be a nice firmware update if it doesn't have that ability!
Honestly Ken you’re such an experienced pilot how could you not be concerned with having the drone at such low altitude and all those, wires trees and posts all around. Not like you at all. Of course you crashed.
Hi Ken. So, how much does one of these drones cost......? This drone is sold on it being a press play and walk away product, a game-changer, a FORCE MULIIPLIER 😁
Daaammn Ken you took it the F out lol apparently wires are the Kryptonite to that drone! Don't feel to bad other people have crashed under similar circumstances and had some weird crashes Love your videos though though keep flyin Bubba !!
I get what you're trying to say when you keep replying "Real world testing requires real world environments", Ken, but most drone pilots would look at that environment and simply say it's not suitable. And you proved it.
Our Vegan Gap Year Some drone channels are crybabies when told something they don’t want to hear either from commenters, authorities, or vendors.
I purchased the Skydio with understand that it won't avoid wires and thin tree branches. Never the less I'm sorry about your crash, and I hope you're able to get it replaced. You did much better flying my Skydio 2 the day Christmas at the beach.
Come on Ken, you drive it where there are 50 powerlines crossing the roads??
What the hell did you expect?!?!?!!!!!
🤣🤣
So true, not smart but I have learned a lesson from him at least
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
you are expecting Skydio to replace your R2 when they clearly said "Skydio 2 can’t see certain visually challenging obstacles. Do not fly around thin branches, telephone or power lines, ropes, netting, wires, chain link fencing or other objects less than ½ inch in diameter." on their site? you must be a special kind of stupid.
oops, lil' drone got a Kencusion
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Haaaa!!🤓👍
🤣
Much as I like Ken and almost everything he does I think this was pretty irresponsible. The drone should have been set to a minimum height that was above the wires. Looking forward to the next video.
I agree, seeing that size a wire at that speed through extreme fisheye lens is a lot to expect from a drone. I don’t think this one was Skydio’s fault.
He was not even going that fast... The drone should have never hit that wire based on the advertisement.
@@BruceMallett I crashed my Mavic 1 into a wire, and I had to take the blame because I was in sport mode and the sensor was off: ruclips.net/video/aff35_DQWHA/видео.html Fortunately I had insurance. Now, that being said, Skydio's website says: "Skydio 2 can see everything in every direction with unprecedented resolution and clarity". Given that he was doing autonomous flying, they should replace the drone, otherwise Skydio could be dinged for false advertising.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
Glad you're enjoying the channel!
Ken Heron I wonder what the power company might have to say about that statement
Ken ken ken ken ken flying near overhead cables! A guy with your Kenowlage should know better 😬
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
I think I r Wright, Google one
@@KenHeron Agreed, but when they state all over their website to not fly around power/telephone wires, water or thin branches, you are putting it in a no win scenario. It's like taking that street bike on a rutted out jeep trail and saying the bike failed. Of course it would, you were using in a way not intended for use. If it failed when flying within the defined parameters, then a critique would be fair.
Ken, really enjoy your channel but I don’t get your position on the warranty. You must fly according to their safe guidelines to qualify for warranty and it says this:
Skydio 2 can’t see certain visually challenging obstacles. Do not fly around thin branches, telephone or power lines, ropes, netting, wires, chain link fencing or other objects less than ½ inch in diameter.
When you took off and I saw all the wires, I freaked. I understand real world testing but don’t you think all the wires were against their guidelines? If not I’m wondering why?
Drones continue to get into the wrong hands all the time sheesh!
Maybe you should do some due diligence before you go flying and understand what this drone can and cannot do and it clearly states to avoid cable wires especially thin ones like the one it crashed into regardless of speed.. and not just cable wires but thin branches as well! You can go on their website and you can read all about the do's and don'ts.. Skydio should not be responsible for this..
(Butt-hurt Skydio owner #62)
@@KenHeron Nope, but I think you should be taking responsibility for your role here instead of trying to deflect. Did you bother to research the Skydio capabilities before you put it in the air? It's pretty clear from everything on their website that you should not fly it around power/telephone wires, thin branches or water. You set this up for failure from the start.
Yep, have seen an increasing amount of reviews saying it glitched and divebombed, or just completly dident detect small objects (in this case a power cable). The reality of it is these drones are amazing at flying themselves, meaning its nuts compaeing drones now to drones 4 years ago, but.... they aren't perfect, it's going to be a long while before skido, dji, or any drone company for that matter, makes a drone that can completly fly itself and be uncrashable. Anyways, great video, I am looking forward to more possible skido 2 vids!!
Yep. I realise there is a market for this feature but I prefer to fly my drone rather than it fly itself tho.
@@voongnz yea, me too
I've been testing this baby out for some time. Biggest thing I've discovered is everyone thinks it's only for tracking. That's wrong.
I have almost retired my beacon and fly it manually more than I do for action stuff. And we all know I do a lot of action stuff.
I have captured things in ways I could never do with all my dji drones using the skydio and in a way that has made flying drones more fun than it's been in years.
I've not posted much on it due to being busy in life but it's coming.
I think if it wasn't wifi and had an occusynch style connection and allowed me to dosabkenthe sensors for night flying or low light I'd sell my other stuff.
Also in the papers that come with it they say it can not detect thin wires and branches. So real world test make sense if you're wanting to show that their paper work is indeed correct. ;)
well said , bet ya Ken never bothered to read those papers though lol
Can’t blame people for thinking it’s a tracking drone, that’s the main selling point of the skydio
@@factorypilot99 I agree. I do t blame people for thinking that's all.its good for since skydio is pushing that.
I hope to show a side of this baby people are over looking and I hope to heck skydio watches and follows. If they tweaked two things this thing would be mind blowing more than it already is.
@@uptowndisco2 I cant blame ken either for not reading those papers when it's someone else's drone. It was the other guy who should know its limitations not ken. Ken was having fun with it, and he states it's a solid well made product in this video. Maybe he will have me on his thursday night live and share some of my findings about the skydio one of these weeks.
If you want manual control it doesn't get much better then a fpv mini qaud ;)
Skydio normally refuses to give replacements for cases of tracking on the street and then hitting the power line, but now its Ken...well let's see what they will do about it.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
I hadn't intended on buying a Skydio, but I will if I have to.
Future video ideas...
Hmmm...
@@KenHeron hopefully you wont have too I think they will honor their warranty.
I'd be surprised and impressed if they replace it. You took a quad you have limited experience with, knowingly put it up in the air right into the powere lines then proceeded down a public road with it into a residential neighborhood and crash. Great time to be posting run away drone/malfunction videos in the midst of the FAA wanting to ground us all lol.
Out of good will, Skydio surely will replace Ken a new one and hoping he can redo a video in a fair environment to promote their bird.
I love you ken but what made you think it would do good around wires that small???? not the drones fault!! Lapse of good judgement on your part still love your videos keep up the good work
As I said not smart flying u r Wright
I don't think Skydio 2 will replace it for warning of flying near wires which there were many of crossing the road. Not the right place to fly autonomously at that low altitude. Why would you fly so low in the path of the wires? You could have raised the altitude up above the wires and mitigate all that risk. Bummer, I hope you don't get stuck flipping the bill for that one. But this will get you clicks....
If raised above the obstacles, there'd be no obstacles to avoid. Ergo... no test.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
@@KenHeron If the Skydio 2's only approved environment is a controlled environment without obstacle....then what use is it? Real world tests, like Ken's.....or any of the other popular creators, provide consumers with real world results. I applaud these types of tests because these are the locations consumers would need to fly in.
@@tnrockyraccoon all.my real world test have been pretty amazing. A few adjustments by skydio on this model and it would be even more of a game changer than it already is.
Currently it's not suppose to avoid thin branches or thin wires. One day we will get there.
@@KenHeron Not real world testing when operating outside the design parameters for real world use. But my guess is that you did not read or properly familiarize yourself Skydio 2's operating manual. Copied from manual: "Skydio 2 can’t see certain visually challenging obstacles. Do Not fly around thin branches, telephone or power lines, ropes, netting, chain link fencing or other objects less than 1/2 inch in diameter."
Of ALL people....YOU, Ken Heron, didn't think this was a possibility?!!!
Every time I fly a drone, crashing is a possibility. This is something one must accept if one intends to be a drone pilot.
Risk vs reward my friend!👍
@@KenHeron Gotta risk it for the biscuit ;)
Haaa!
Yup.👍
Dang! My thought is that the high speed and small object (power line) were a bad combination. It may have been able to avoid it at a slower speed, but that’s just a theory. How fast were you going when it hit the power line?
@Ready Set Drone yep, think you are probably right. You can see the crotch rocket take off and the Skydio speed up and try to keep up. At that speed, and that wire. Nah.
They claim in the instructuons it can't see thin branches and small.power lines. I've seen people get lucky but also those two things have been what I see takes it down the most.
Maybe I should share with ken some of my footage and sit on thursday night live and discuss this baby further. Has some amazing potential people dont realize.
YES he was lashing down the road, no way that was going to work
I just don't think this is a fair test, having it track a motorcycle on a road full of power lines?
Just my honest opinion.
Brick box agree
But it is a test
@@Ppetiprin Testing a pickup truck to see if it pulls a semi trailer is also a test.
Tracking you in a forest is going to be more difficult than a street .This drone excels at nothing.
@@Northstar-Media you obviously do not have one. This thing is pretty amazing. I've been flying mine for test and mostly with the controller. Captures things in a way I just can't with all my other drones.
I hit some bare branches today with mine, and the Skydio did a couple of flips, but RECOVERED, and went into HOVER mode. It was no longer tracking me, but I used the Beacon to bring it down and start all over again. I was surprised that it recovered as nicely as it did, at a height of about ten metres.
It's a smart little flyer.
At the speed it was traveling, I don't know of any sensor that could've detected the smaller cable in time. I flew my S2 this weekend for the 1st time. I performed several controlled tests to learn its boundaries and gain confidence in its capabilities. I was tempted to take it down an old country road near our farm but it didn't seem like the right thing to do, especially being new to it. I guess watching YT is one way of understanding the limits. Thanks Ken for being the anti-pattern. I or anyone else has no business being on a public road with this or any other drone.
This one's on you Ken, I haven't seen more irresponsible flying in a long while.
Please explain what you saw that was "irresponsible".
Seafax, I don't know what you saw but I didn't see anything irresponsible whatsoever.
@@KenHeron You clearly failed to recognise the potential hazards in your flying area. Your top priority as an rc pilot is to fly safely and that's incompatible with having drones hit such an obvious obstacle and drop out of the sky in front of oncoming vehicles. The onus to fly safely is on you - not on the manufacturer.
@@seafax Gotta agree with you on this. Violation of Part 107 PIC to avoid safety hazards. FAA spin- "Drone pilot recklessly flies into critical infrastructure" video evidence attached.
I think skydio is to blame. They didn't give him, the pilot, options to prevent it from hitting obstacles. This could have easily been prevented with a height ceiling set to below the height of the wires or any tall branches that the drone could hit. Skydio advertises the drone as having "trustworthy autonomy", if it is trustworthy, it shouldn't be hitting wires.
Gotta admit though, This is way better than the DJI tracking. Great video though Ken!
It kicks DJI's ass in the tracking department. 👍
DJI can actually track more types of subjects than Skydio can, and can fly higher while tracking than the skydio can. So not sure the Skydio is as good as it could be.
Love your channel and everything you do for droning Ken but I wouldn't have tried let alone expected any drone to miss that many wires???
You are the one that made the drone fail, you were exceeding the 25 mph speed limit on the sign you passed just before the crash.
Is that right officer?
That wasn't a wire... that was a string. No way computer vision could pick that up and plan to avoid it. I couldn't even see it with my eyes. Would have expected you to read the user guide before flying.
(Butt-hurt Skydio owner #57)
Another GREAT and amazing video my drone brother Ken. Fantastic review. I like this Bird, but honestly not my favorite. God bless brother and keep up the amazing JOB. have a great Sunday captain Heron. Thanks for all you do and please keep flying.
Your new youtube voice is AMAZING, LOL hope you get to feeling better.
Hey Ken believe me , until now you are the best and most honestly drone channel I have ever seen.
You really can’t expect a drone to be able to detect small wires like that, just be aware of your surroundings and make sure it won’t run into anything that’s not a large object
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
Ken Heron a responsible pic knows their drones limitations and avoids stuff like this. I get that you are testing the drone but it says in the papers that it can not detect small wires and such. To be fair I think the test should have been done in a non residential area away from houses and power lines. Love the channel btw not trying to be a hater
I don't know how to avoid wires I am not aware of.
Besides, it's up to the drone to avoid obstacles, not me.
😁👍
I have seen allot of videos about the tracking for that drone. Until now, I have been impressed...
Will be interesting to see if they replace it. It would make another precedence for others when you crash hitting objects less then 1/2" in diameter. The warranty clause that drone won't be replaced for any reason if it ends up in water clearly also doesn't apply since they already replaced one for Billy Kyle.
If Skydio expects us to fly their drones in the real world, they must realize said world contains smaller obstacles and water.
@@KenHeron True, they will have to stop selling and start replacing only with the production volume they do 🤣
Yup.
Ken I appreciate the real world review. I am sure there will be others who will try the exact same scenario and may or may not get the same result. That wire was about the same thickness as many bare tree branches we encounter, so this is need to know information.
"Missed it by that much!" - Maxwell Smart, Agent 86
🤓👍
(Almost) missed it by that much 🙏
My Skydio crashed in the exact same manner. Following me on a motorcycle and hit a wire. I sent all the data into Skydio and they will not cover under warranty because they claim that wires are not covered under their crash guarantee.
I have since sent the drone into them for an estimate on the repair but mine was worse than shown here, it ripped the camera off of the front and it was dangling by wires. I hope you have better luck with the warranty crash coverage than I did.
I foresee this being a common problem with power lines that they cannot correct with the limits of software and those sensors. This will lead to Skydio eventually getting fed up of sending out replacement drones and making some rules regarding where you can fly and still expect a guarantee to be honored. Thanks Ken! (Edit: come up to Johnson City in East Tennessee and check out our mountains and rivers.)
Nice bike Ken! I'm from the UK and we only get about 1 month of proper biking weather a year! Was just telling a fellow biker yesterday about the Skydio 2 and how it would be awesome for this exact purpose.... guess I won't be rushing out to buy one now! Thanks for making this vid to save us the pain! 😁
I wouldn't dismiss the Skydio 2 because of a fluke like this.
It was performing like a champ until it was just overwhelmed. It'll be fine in an environment with fewer obstacles.
@@KenHeron thanks for the reply! I'd still like to get one... Think it would be great for some biking action! I have a local 1 mile circuit we do track days on. Would love to get a few laps of that on my Daytona from the Skydios point of view! I wonder if the manufacturer will look at some sort of fix for potential failures due to over head cables. You were very unlucky though!
Wasn't a glitch. Was user error. No claim.
It is supposed to be a autonomous drone .with obstacle avoidance .There have been a few fails with this drone .
@@Northstar-Media Pretty sure there is fine print in the claim for situations like this that would negate the claim
@@meechcreativellc Yes it has more caveats in the small print than a X wife.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
I would love to hear autonomous car companies make this claim, when it ends up killing someone. This is totally on skydio. "Trustworthy autonomy" should be trustworthy.
another great vid you rock ken....
Wow incredible video Ken. It cartwheeled over that wire on to the road and it didn't fly into a bunch of pieces. Ruggedly built drone.
Truly well built.
Agreed, I'm astonished at the lack of damage considering the fall from that height onto concrete!
This started out as a great idea, Maybe a bit of bad planning by not setting a little higher altitude? Or is that even an adjustable setting? Since I don't plan on buying a Skydio I've not done (or plan to do) all the spec and operation research. So I'm not poking fun like some others, It's a honest question. I do hope Skydio hooks you up though. Would have been a very cool video if the results were different. But since you totally TRASHED a Skydio it's in the running for awesome video. Thanks for sharing.
Agent К_видео If you watch the stretch of video prior to it hitting the thinnest top cable strung you can see it’s avoiding the “per spec” avoidable cables below. It’s not a fail safe and not perfect and not meant to replace a responsible RPIC with VLOS of the drone.
It was in autonomous mode during the crash.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
@@KenHeron Indeed it does
@@KenHeron
Real World:
No one:
Professional Drone Pilots:
RUclips Creators: Let's fly this drone in every possible scenario that NO ONE would actually ever do...ever...and claim we're testing it.
#smdh
@Agent К_видео thin wires and branches are said in the book to NOT be seen.
You can fly it lower or higher with the beacon hooked to the phone app. It opens up more options.
However the fun with this baby actually is with the controller. Its blowing my mind.
Skydio has two things they need to tweak. Well 3 really and this thing would be beyond mind blowing.
Caught a wire with my P4P. I manged to save it. It was luck on my part and ability to recover on the P4P's part. But, it could have very easily went the way of the Skydio. Enjoyed the video as usual. Appreciate the candid review. As someone who grew up on bikes (motocross, then street) Keep your head on a swivel and God Bless you, Ken.
Thanks bud!
I think if the battery hadn't popped off, it might have been able to recover.
I would say something went haywire..... get it? Hey Wire! 😉😆
And... ZING!🤣
A wire in the sky is very difficult for vision systems to get some distance data out from because it looks the same along its length. For example a three branch is easier because it has a lot of difference, features, for the vision system to recognize and match to what was recognized in the pictures before.
Yup.
It'll improve over time I'm sure.
Thank god no squirrels were injured in this unfortunate accident
Less than a half inch is the limit. Hard to see some times.
It'll improve over time.
The sensing resolution is currently too low to be trusted in most real-world environments.
That's what SHE said!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
That wire was pretty thin. It was a nest of lines you picked to test the Skydio 2.
Wow excellent review ken
"Poor little guy. Probably kept up with you for a mile or so.
" 😪
"Tough little mutt..."
How hard is it to read the freaking manual? The avoidance cameras can't see thin wires, and that's what you hit. The drone is not designed to run above public roads with power lines. So, you took the drone into an environment that the manufacturer specifically warns you is not suitable, and the drone crashed. What do you expect? Maybe you can rig up some thin nets and watch it crash into them next.
🤣
Keep on Droning, Great Post.
Thanks bud!
Landed! Brutal test Ken 👍
Crazy!! The exact same thing happened to me (Skydio Drone hit a power line across a road) Mine was worse off than yours though! LOL.
This is precisely why I have asked for a height ceiling, when flying these kinds of scenarios. If skydio is going to say it is the pilot's fault for flying it near power lines, then they need to give pilots options to limit how high it will fly, so it won't hit branches in tall trees, or power lines.
🤓👍
That was a pretty tough test given the speed and the size of the wire but like you said this is a real world environment. I am not in the market for this type of drone but that failure would not stop me from purchasing one. Will be interesting to see Skydio's response.
It's a very impressive bit of tech.
I don’t think Superman would have dodged all those wires. Try it again with a DJI drone with obstacle avoidance, but not with mine!!!!
Super Wright
You're so going to get a new one Ken, lol. Nice video and thanks for saying it like it is.👍
You back on Yu bike 👍🏻💀😎📸🎙🏆
🥾🥾 *Hey man... YER-A-PEE’N on muh boots* 🥾🥾
Cool vid beautiful bike. The poor drone
Great drone -- I know -- IDIOT with A BEACON and a SPORT BIKE -- SPEED KILLS
Haha, that is a very tough test.
Indeed.
My Mavic 2 zoom hit an inch in diameter power cable when flying backwoods I was surprised that the sensors didn't recognize it. DJI did send me a new drone, I am more careful now when flying near power lines. Great video Ken. 👍👍👍👍
Glad to hear it!👍
OOOooooouuuuuch! Poor Skydio! Can't believe it done this to you.. i've seen some crazy footage with these things on the Ol youtube lately! Just your luck Ken
Ouch, although in defence of the Skydio 2 it would never be able to detect such a wire!! I'm still struggling to see the appeal of the Skydio 2 for anyone except for those like yourself, someone into cars/motorbikes, action sports or similar - when manually flown, it's a pretty basic aircraft in comparison to the Mavic 2. For the average 'drone consumer' it really shouldn't hold any appeal, we love flying and if the drone is doing the flying then we're not :) in addition, the autonomous tracking is far from cinematic, its hesitant and all over the place - good video Ken!
I've had the Skydio 2 for a couple of months. It should avoid stationary objects larger than 1/2" in diameter. Perhaps your wire was smaller. Seriously, stay away from wires and small branches with the Skydio. The faster you go, the less time Skydio has to decide how to avoid an object. I think it is rated for 36MPH max.
It'll improve over time.
The sensing resolution is currently too low to be trusted in most real-world environments.
Unfortunately, when the skydio 2 is flying autonomously, skydio doesn't provide anyway to cap the height with a ceiling, so you prevent it from hitting wires or thin branches.
Oops, that was a very thin cable but that whats out there. Will be interested to see what they do for you.
Well a least when you flew the skydio it detected your house needs repainting
HAHAHAAA!
You got THAT right!👌
I got my skydio a few months ago and this is the one reason I'm hesitant to let it auto track. It does well with bushes/trees/etc... but doesn't seem to do well with power lines at all. I mean it makes sense, but still...
Just flying to fast stick to the bike
Great honest review! Rode by your radio station, I would have stopped in and said hi, but I wasn't driving, maybe next time.
Thanks, but I'm no longer there. 😁
@@KenHeron well dang! I'm glad you told me! lol I still hope to meet you in person some day, I want your autograph on my mavic mini, if I ever get one, after all, it's your fault I'm a drone nutt! 🤣
You betcha!
Sometimes these things happen. There is a chance that in a woods environment it could hit a limb that small. I have seen this drone avoid all kinds of small obstacles in other videos. Could have been a fluke thing too, ya never know. Skydio can probably analyze the sensor data and see if it just failed to see the wire or if it couldn't quite deliver enough power to the motors to get it over the wire. It looked as though it was trying to get over it. That's a lot of real-time calculations going on. Just think of where we'll be in a few years if tech improvements continue on this type of real-time avoidance technology! (If the FAA doesn't shut us down). The autopilot will get better.
Those stupid guide wires get me everytime.
Definitely was operator error -- since the drone was actually not yours, more caution was required !! Very much like borrowing a car
you dont go racing with it unless you can afford to REPLACE IT -- GET OUT YOUR WALLET -- NOT SKYDIO's FAULT!!!
How it can be operator error if it was autonomous flight without operator? 🤷♂️
The person who loaned it to me knows that they will get a replacement even if Skydio doesn't step up. 👍
@@1exey r u for real --- the point isnt the drone -- its CARELESS INTENT -- i own a skydio do YOU
WNY Outdoor Adventures, I’ll switch to Skydio from Mavic as soon as it properly avoids collision with wires and branches. What’s the point of this functionality if you can not rely on it anyway?
@@1exey Until you own one and then you can spew -- I have all the Mavics -- not the SAME at least skydio tries its best a mavic gets near an obstacle and the tracking is over -- I have videos of this and if you respect SPEED skydio can see the OBSTACLE TRUST ME along with CLEAN CAMERA LENSES -- it uses for the avoidance -- very easy to touch and need cleaned every flight -- but what would I KNOW MINE STILL FLIES
I misread the speed limit it was 20 mph not 25, and to add to that you sped up really fast just before the crash and I bet skydio does not control obstacle avoidance at those crotch rocket speeds.
Ouch. I cancelled my batch 2 order a month or so back because of all the issues I've seen....Awesome drone but it's just not there yet.
This drone is amazing flying with the controller. I've been doing some series testing and people are using it wrong. Lol
As much as I do action stuff for it to follow me it's so much more fun flying it manually.
Those thin wires are crazy. Says in the book to not fly it through them.
awesome bike Ken! Oh and skydio too or skydio 2 lol
that cable on the beginning was already REALLY Scary!
do they replace an accident like this by warranty? if so this would be a nice failsafe thing to buy. even I am a DJI Fanboy
Let's hope they stand by their product. 👍
I have another question, does anyone know if the skydio drone can do a mapping flight to fly in a given environment better? Is it possible to give it a suggested path when flying at a specific difficult path and then continue with autonomous flying?
You can use key frames. It would follow a specific path that you sent but you would have to switch back to motion tracking after
Whilst the drone was flying over and under the wires, I was ducking and dodging!
Hi Ken.
Do you often lose power/electricity due to the cables hanging in the air?
Here, in Denmark, all cabling has been moved under ground
Yep. You are way ahead of us
We can't put the cables underground. The squirrel lobby is too powerful. 🤣
Good to know I don't run as fast as that bike was going🤣🤣he was going about 27 mph
Seen quite a few crashes with the Skydio. If I remember Skydio notes that it may not detect wire lines. If Skydio does replace it. It is simply because you are a reviewer. Why else would you giggle so much after busting a $1000 drone. Especially a loaned one!!. We all do appreciate you reviews, but get real. If Skydio replaces this; then I hope all Skydio owners watch this video and make sure no matter what the circumstances are. They get a replacement. BTW still love your channel.
Can't let an accident ruin your day my friend. Life is to short and way too fun!
@@KenHeron I'm now laughing at you..Not with you.
As long as you're laughing, that's all that matters. 👍
I think you can set its Flight Height maybe, so in areas were there are low objects it would only fly above a certain foot level
Yeah, but the fact that skydio knew that branches and power lines are it's Achilles heal, why in the world did they not provide height ceiling options?
I think I said to Ken once when you are in manual mode dont takeoff on an angle but the nice people at skydeo haven't picked up on this flaw well live and learn I say
Was that a drone you were destroying?
Where I’m employed the school just bought two of these for the students. Instructor told me because you “can’t crash them”, this after the students crashed the spark the school bought last year. I’m pretty sure they purchased the replacement warranty.
support.skydio.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000864113-What-is-the-Skydio-warranty-
Students can also break un-breakable combs!
Ken Heron the warranty states “never use public roads when using car follow” but I don’t think that applies to you since it was following a motorcycle! 😂
A Visual Observer and Pilot in Command will always be safer than some automated gizmo. These things just encourage you to find the failure point and at the worst possible moment.
Good job
I`m impressed that this drone took that beat. But expect that a drone can see wires, is too naive for me.
good or bad - At least there is a video of the flight - Will see how the Honorable Skydio makes judgement
Question, in a tracking requirement scenario like this, does the Skydio 2 allow you to specify a 'minimum altitude', so that as an operator you supply the tallest altitude at which power lines or other semi-visible objects exist?
Why would you or anyone for that matter choose a road with crossing power lines and overhanging trees? Also looks like a design flaw that allowed the battery to eject so easily upon impact, thus giving drone no chance to recover before hitting ground.
Because testing.
@@KenHeron Planning to have drone herk and jerk as it avoids trees and power lines isn't going to result in watchable footage. Obstacle avoidance shouldn't be part of a planned shot.
Real-world testing requires using a real-world environment.
Hahaha real pilots win. Take that faa. Perhaps skydio could incorporate some type of overhead electrical recognition based off current code and best practices of utility contractors?
If Skydio replaces it or not, one thing is for sure, here comes content for another video!
To accommodate big trucks, electric companies typically hang wire between 14 and 18' above the ground. Can the Skydio be programmed to follow at a minimum safe altitude of maybe 20 or 30 feet? That might be a nice firmware update if it doesn't have that ability!
Yes. It can.
Honestly Ken you’re such an experienced pilot how could you not be concerned with having the drone at such low altitude and all those, wires trees and posts all around. Not like you at all. Of course you crashed.
I wasn't piloting it.
You you you killed it ! 😂🤣🤣
Watching it commit suicide isn't the same as killing it.
It’s almost like they tell you not to fly around wires…..wait…
🤣
Hi Ken.
So, how much does one of these drones cost......?
This drone is sold on it being a press play and walk away product, a game-changer, a FORCE MULIIPLIER 😁
Daaammn Ken you took it the F out lol apparently wires are the Kryptonite to that drone! Don't feel to bad other people have crashed under similar circumstances and had some weird crashes Love your videos though though keep flyin Bubba !!
Did they replace it Ken ?
We shall see.
Skydio won’t ovoid objects smaller than 1/2” in diameter. IE power lines.... in the manual.
Great video! Hope you get a replacement! At 6:23, as soon as you said that, I knew you were going to play that! Lol. Buh and bye!