Yuneec is the next company to take on the small foldable drone with the Mantis Q, a flier complete with 4K video capability, voice control and face detection, together with flight time reaching up to 33 minutes.
The Mantis Q weighs around 0.45kg, and foldable arms make it is easy to carry in a backpack. It features 3 automatic flight modes, namely "journey mode" (flies in a straight, designated path), "point of interest" (circles around an assigned object) and "return to home" (automatically returns the drone to the takeoff area). Yuneec says the drone also recognises faces from up to 4m distance, and takes photos through either gesture control or a voice command such as "take a selfie."
The camera stands on a vertical-only gimbal, meaning it is perhaps not the best for drone cinematography. It records video at up to 4K resolution, while photos top at 4800x2700, with storage taking place on microSD card. Top speed clicks at 44MPH, and the drone also includes IR- and sonar-based indoor stabilisation. The
An X-Pack bundle including 2 extra batteries and a shoulder bag will be available once the Mantis Q starts shipping later this year.
