DJI unveils Matrice 300 RTK with Zenmuse hybrid camera

New Matrice 300 RTK and Zenmuse H20 series cameras ready for new generation of work, including digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI)

DJI has unveiled its most advanced commercial drone platform, the Matrice 300 RTK (M300 RTK), along with the Zenmuse H20 Series, a hybrid, multi-sensor camera.

The Matrice 300 RTK UAV from DJI is designed for the next level in data collection and site inspection. (Photo: DJI)

DJI engineered the all-in-one, high-tech solution for areas of work never explored before in precise aerial inspections and data-collection missions.

“With the M300 RTK flying platform and the Zenmuse H20 camera series, we are providing a safer and smarter solution to our enterprise customers” said Christina Zhang, senior director, Corporate Strategy at DJI. “This solution sets an entirely new standard for industrial UAV solutions, significantly enhancing operations across public safety, law enforcement, energy, surveying and mapping as well as critical infrastructure inspections.”

The M300 RTK is the first DJI product that integrates modern aviation features, advanced AI capabilities, six directional sensing and positioning system, a UAV health management system, and 55 minutes’ flight time.

The drone platform has AES-256 encryption and an IP45 weather-resistant enclosure. It has a built-in all-new OcuSync Enterprise transmission system that provides a triple-channel 1080p video transmission signal reaching up to 15 km away.

The M300 RTK can support up to 3 payloads simultaneously and has a maximum payload capability of up to 2.7 kg.

“For our teams working in the oil & gas industry, performance and safety are not optional,” said customer Adam Serblowski, Robotics Theme Lead at Shell. “We cannot compromise on our pursuit of utilizing the best and most efficient tools available. The DJI Matrice 300 RTK proves to be an ideal upgrade over the existing DJI product line, and it helps us to further enhance the benefits of our drone programs. Our productive partnership with DJI will continue to help elevate safety in the world’s largest industry.”

With the Zenmuse H20 Series Camera

Combined, the M300 RTK and Zenmuse H20 Series solution offers users two intelligent ways to collect data:

• Smart Pin & Track. Intelligent functions that enhance synchronization of aerial intelligence in coordinated missions. It includes PinPoint, a function that allows users to mark the subject of interest and instantly share the precise location data to a second operator or if necessary to ground teams via DJI FlightHub; and Smart Track, which allows users to automatically detect and track a moving object, even at extreme distances, while synchronising the subject’s dynamic location in real time.
• Smart Inspection. A new set of features developed to optimize routine data collection missions such as power lines, railway and oil and gas inspections. It consists of Live Mission Recording for recording sample automated missions in real time; AI-Spot Check, which enables data collection from exactly the same location every time, greatly improving the accuracy of automated missions. After photos from a sample waypoint inspection mission have been recorded, operators are able to mark the subject of interest. During subsequent automated flight missions, AI algorithms perform a comparison between the marked subject and current live view, thus correcting the camera orientation accordingly to deliver accurate and consistent results; and Waypoints 2.0 — an improved mission planning system offering up to 65,535 waypoints, while supporting an array of consecutive actions, 3rd party payloads, and more.

Aviation-Grade Situational Awareness. Inspired by today’s modern aircraft, the M300 RTK features a Primary Flight Display (PFD) that merges real-time flight and navigation data into one integrated display. Besides standard telemetry data like altitude and speed, the M300 RTK PFD provides obstacle data for visualising nearby obstacles during flight, enabling pilots to adjust flight trajectory if needed. These enhancements allow users to keep track of the aircraft while further enhancing the pilot’s situational awareness.

Dual-operator mode. New to DJI’s commercial drone platforms and exclusive to the M300 RTK, is Advanced Dual Operator Mode – multi-pilot control protocols that enable the execution of missions with enhanced safety, reliability and flexibility.

The M300 RTK, when controlled by two pilots, gives each pilot equal access to gain flight-control priority, the transfer of which is displayed by a series of icons on the DJI Smart Controller Enterprise. If one pilot becomes compromised or their controller loses battery or connection, the other pilot gains full control over the M300 RTK and its payloads.

When training new pilots, the teacher/main pilot can safely take over flight control if necessary.

Improved safety and reliability

The M300 RTK comes with new and improved safety and reliability enhancements, including:

• AES-256 Encryption: for secure data transmission of the command & control uplink and video transmission downlink.
• AirSense (ADS-B technology): for enhanced airspace safety.
• Anti-Collision Beacon: for increased aircraft visibility, especially in low-light conditions.
• IP45 Protection Rating & Self-Heating Battery: for adverse weather conditions (-20 to 50° C).
• 6 Directional Sensing and Positioning System: offers a maximum detection range of up to 40 m horizontally, with options to customize the aircraft sensing behavior via DJI Pilot.

As with modern-day jetliners, the M300 RTK offers an integrated UAV Health Management System (UHMS) to optimize fleet maintenance. It records the aircraft’s flight data throughout its entire lifecycle, and utilizes the drone’s hardware and software systems to understand current aircraft performance and determine when it should be serviced. Taking advantage of this new system, users can get a quick overview of all critical aircraft systems, manage firmware updates across an entire fleet, track pilot hours and review flight missions.

DJI Zenmuse H20 Series

The new camera payloads are designed to improve mission efficiency. The Zenmuse H20 series offers DJI’s first Hybrid multi-sensor solution, allowing capture of any kind of images for industrial applications and public-safety missions where efficient time management and immediate access to multiple layers of visions are paramount.

The H20 Series is IP44 rated, which protects enclosures from splashes of water from any direction.

The H20 series comes in two versions:

• The H20, a triple sensor with a 20-MP, 23x hybrid optical zoom camera, a 12-MP wide camera, and a laser range finder covering distances from 3 to 1200 meters
• The H20T, a quad sensor that adds a 640 x 512 radiometric thermal camera, allowing operators to see what is invisible to the human eye using high thermal sensitivity at 30 frames per second video definition.

Integrated user interface

To enable pilots to operate so many sensors at once, the accompanying DJI Pilot app interface was redesigned. The new user interface lets pilots quickly switch between cameras and simplifies the process of zooming in and out by letting pilots preview the zoom field of view on top of the wide angle or thermal camera footage.

With a multi-sensor integrated user interface, the Zenmuse H20 series allows users to smoothly switch between wide, zoom or thermal cameras. It also includes features for maximum flexibility when used on time-sensitive missions.

• High-Res Grid Photo: Captures in one snap detailed imagery of defined subjects with the help of a custom grid. The images can be stored for later detailed inspection.
• One-Click Capture: Captures videos or photos of up to three cameras simultaneously without having to manually switch between camera views or repeat a mission.
• Night Scene: Gains clearer visibility when lighting conditions are not optimal.

The M300 RTK and Zenmuse H20 series are available for pre-order from official DJI Enterprise dealers and will start shipping in Q2 2020.