Drones have been in and out of the news for some time now, but flying one has always been a bit of a rigmarole. That’s something DJI is aiming to fix with its latest flying machine – the DJI Spark – a portable drone you can control with the wave of your hand.
And, having had a short time trialling the DJI Spark at a hands-on session, I can report that it works remarkably effectively.
DJI Spark review: Gesture flight
Hold the Spark at the tips of your fingers, double tap the square button on the rear and, after steadily spinning up its rotors, the drone tugs free of your grip and floats, buzzing like an enormous angry wasp just in front of you.
Once the LEDs turn solid green, indicating it has picked up your face, you can start flying. Wipe your palm slowly left and right and the Spark strafes left and right, tracking you all the way. Form a rectangle shape with your thumbs and forefinger and the Spark fires off a photo.
That’s not all, though. Wave your hand left and right and the drone flies steadily backwards and up for a wider view (although be sure there are no objects in range as there are no rear-facing sensors). Then, like Jeremy, hold your arms in a "V" to bring the Spark back down.
The Spark can also track you as you walk around in this mode, but the cleverest bit is the automatic landing procedure: walk up to the drone, place your palm facing up about a foot below it and the sensors recognise your mitt and bring the Spark in to land, with delicate precision, on your hand.
If you don’t want to lose the ends of your fingers, you’ll need to remember to keep your hand flat, though. Think of it like hand-feeding sugar cubes to a pony, except you don’t need to clean off the saliva afterwards.
And that’s not the only way to control things, either. It’s also possible to pair an Android handset or iPhone with the Spark and take control via the touchscreen for more precise flight, and there’s even an optional physical remote control available for the traditionalists. This also extends the range from around 100 metres to 2km, although quite how you’d be able to keep eye contact with the drone at that distance is anybody’s guess.
DJI Spark review: Size and features
Of course, this isn’t the first time DJI has produced a compact drone. I tested the Mavic Pro last year, and that drone packed all the camera tech and flyability of the company’s larger Phantom drones into a package the size of a 1980s VHS camcorder.
The Spark is even more compact. Indeed, at 300g it weighs less than a couple of smartphones and, though its rotor arms don’t fold in like on the Mavic Pro, the rotors themselves do hinge so you can stash the whole thing in a bag without worrying about bits breaking off.
And, despite its toy-like dimensions, there’s still plenty of technology squeezed into the Spark’s diminutive frame. Just like a bigger drone, the Spark is equipped with a bank of sensors to ensure steady, predictable flight, with a pair of sonar sensors and a camera on its belly, plus a mechanically stabilised 1080p camera with a 1/2.3in CMOS sensor and an infrared sensor at the front for object tracking, avoidance and photo/video capture.
The Spark can reach speeds of up to 50km/h and even its 1,480mAh lithium-polymer battery is impressive, providing a decent 16-minutes of flight time. That’s a lot longer than most drones its size, but replacements are a little on the pricey side at £54 a pop.
DJI Spark review: Early verdict
There’s a lot more to the DJI Spark than I’ve described here, with programmable and preset video tracking plus tap-to-fly modes, and forthcoming compatibility with DJI’s FPV goggles for a truly immersive (and potentially gut-churning) flying experience, but I’ll leave those details for the full review.
On this evidence, though, the Spark looks promising, offering advanced features in a compact package for a relatively reasonable price of £519. Keep your eyes peeled for the full review, which will follow a few weeks from now.
