Skydio R1's First Major Update Brings New Cinematic Modes

Drone company Skydio has announced its first major software update for R1, its "self-flying camera." With this software update, which arrives today, Skydio R1 owners get access to a new feature called Car Follow that enables the drone to follow vehicles. That is joined by other new cinematic modes, improving the device's usefulness as an aerial production camera.

The update builds upon the existing Skydio Autonomy Engine, the platform through which R1 receives its intelligence. The drone was already capable of sophisticated aerial actions such as obstacle avoidance and subject tracking, and today's update makes it even better.

According to Skydio, the update also improves Lead Mode, adding a better prediction system that helps the drone intelligently move around obstacles. The landing experience has also been updated in this update; R1 is now able to show the user exactly where it plans to touch down.

Overall, the update is bringing a total of four new cinematic video recording modes: Car Tripod, Car Follow, Quarter Lead, and Quarter Follow. Using these new modes is now easier, too, thanks to improvements to the system's user interface. Don't have an R1 drone? You can find out all the details about it here. The device is available now for $2,499 USD.