Interview with DJI’s Michael Perry at AUVSI Xponential 2018

Yesterday, we had the chance to talk to DJI’s Managing Director of North America, Michael Perry at the AUVSI Xponential 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Michael spoke to us about the new Zenmuse XT2 dual-sensor thermal camera as well as the payload SDK and DJI’s push into the commercial drone market. We also spoke about how drones can help save people lives around the world and of course we asked him about what else consumers can expect from DJI this year.

DJI’s innovation cycle does not stop

In the interview, Michael Perry spoke about the breath of DJI’s enterprise applications, starting with the new Zenmuse XT2 camera that provides both visual and thermal information, the payload SDK, that allows other sensors to be mounted on the Matrice 200 platform for agricultural surveying solutions, the MG1 agricultural spraying platform, and DJI’s Aeroscope.

When asked about the role DJI drones play in the world of search and rescue, Michael told us that the accessibility and flexibility (payload SDK) of DJI drones make them a great tool for rescue workers. There are a number of truly transformative applications where DJI drones were used in situations when every second counts such as fires and hostage situations.

This year marks the first time DJI will acknowledge some of the pioneers in the search and rescue area with a Humanitarian Award show tomorrow at AUVSI Xponential 2018.

Lastly, we asked Michael about what DJI might have in store for consumers this year. Unfortunately (no surprise really), he did not give us any hints. Politely he said that:

“So, we can’t share anything in terms of the roadmap for consumers products or even enterprise products. But we can tell you that we continue to be committed to developing the best products for our end customers and the cycle of innovation at DJI does not stop. And you can see that with a lot of the products on display here, and you will see that moving forward in the future as well.”

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