Review of the Skydio 2 Autonomous Drone

Welcome to our review of the Skydio 2 Autonomous Drone! In recent years, drones have become increasingly popular for recreational and professional use alike.

The Skydio 2 sets itself apart from other drones on the market with its advanced autonomous capabilities. This drone is designed to capture footage while avoiding obstacles and tracking subjects with incredible precision, making it an ideal choice for both professional and amateur videographers.

In this review, we will take a closer look at the features and performance of the Skydio 2 Autonomous Drone and assess its overall value and usability.

Skydio 2 follows people best in my experience. This is a super quick video of Skydio following someone on the beach.

Is it possible for the Skydio 2 to follow an automobile?

Although the Skydio drone has impressive capabilities when it comes to mapping out the flying area, it is not entirely a “set and forget” drone. You still need to remain vigilant about potential obstacles that the drone may encounter and avoid them accordingly. In other words, while the drone can assist you in navigating its surroundings, it still requires human oversight to ensure safe and successful flight.

The upcoming flight may appear to have gone smoothly… it’s important to reconsider and assess the situation.

We had the Skydio 2 drone following a Volkswagen Golf R for a considerable amount of time, during which we were not driving at high speeds. Occasionally, we had to pull over to allow other vehicles to pass, but this was not a significant issue since the road was sufficiently wide. Additionally, the road was in poor condition, with numerous potholes and other forms of damage, which generally deterred drivers from speeding along it.

Overall, it appeared that the drone was performing well, with one minor issue being that it occasionally took a brief moment to determine the optimal route for returning to the car. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the drone’s ability to perform this task, even when the car is not in sight of any of its many cameras, is quite impressive.

Just as I was beginning to feel more comfortable using the Skydio 2 drone, it unexpectedly lost sight of the Volkswagen Golf R and veered towards the nearby woods. This behavior was quite unusual, as in my past experience with drones, they tend to either fly back to their original takeoff point or at least attempt to return to the location of the controller or beacon.

As soon as the drone flew towards the woods, I quickly requested my friend to pull over, but I was unable to reestablish data transmission with the device. This was quite frustrating since we were in a rural area with only a few homes every mile and not in a densely populated area with hundreds of Wi-Fi signals. Eventually, we returned to the original takeoff point, but the drone was nowhere to be found. Despite our efforts to scout the area, we were unable to detect any signal from the device. As it grew dark, we decided to call off the search for the night.

I have documented the process of retrieving the lost drone on my personal blog, which can be found at the following link: [https://graydonschwartz.com/recounting-the-crash-and-rescue-of-my-skydio-2-drone/].

Recounting the Crash and Rescue of My Skydio 2 Drone

In that particular article, I have included the clip where the drone lost sight of the Volkswagen Golf R. To avoid redundancy, I won’t be sharing the same clip in this article. If you’re interested in viewing it, be sure to check out the aforementioned article as well.

Following the aforementioned incident, Skydio has released several firmware updates for the drone. Additionally, they have also introduced the Skydio 2+, which offers an extended range when used with both the Skydio Controller and Skydio Beacon.

It is my sincere hope that the issue mentioned earlier has been resolved by Skydio. However, I currently do not have any means of verifying this information. If you happen to own or have used either the Skydio 2 or Skydio 2+, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your experience with the drone in the comments section below. Have you experienced any similar issues with it getting “lost”? How has it been holding up overall?

What is the Skydio 2 Beacon?

The Beacon is specifically designed for activities like snowboarding or biking. It can be easily carried in a pocket within your jacket or mounted onto your bike. The device comes equipped with controls that enable you to direct the drone to desired locations. However, it’s important to note that there are no manual controls available. Therefore, retrieving the drone can be challenging if it gets stuck or lost.

What about the Skydio 2 App?

Although the Skydio 2/+ drone app includes all the standard functions one would expect, I find it less impressive than the DJI Fly app. However, comparing the DJI Mavic 3 or DJI Mini 3 Pro with the Skydio 2/+ drones, they serve vastly different purposes. If I wanted a drone to track me while I engage in an activity like shredding the mountain (if permitted), Skydio 2+ is the clear winner. But if I wanted to create a chill lofi video, I would choose the DJI Air 2S or DJI Mavic 3. Different drones are suited to different purposes.

Reflexiones finales

If you asked me if I would purchase another Skydio 2 autonomous drone, my answer would be yes, especially if they release a next-generation version. I was thoroughly impressed with the original Skydio 2, and I believe that with all the research and development that goes into creating the next one, it will be even better. As my YouTube channel continues to expand, I am considering using the drone again for some videos because I miss it dearly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you’re interested in watching more videos featuring the Skydio 2, please check out the video below where my friend flies the drone for the first time.

Top Skydio 2 Videos You Don’t Want to Miss

Our objective was to test the Skydio 2 drone, which also happened to be the first time that she had ever flown this device.