Chennai-based drone start-up Garuda Aerospace has launched a nano drone, Droni, for the consumer photography and cinematography segment. Currently sold on e-commerce site Amazon, Droni is a small-sized foldable quadcopter weighing 250 gm. Its launch was also announced on the social media handles of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is an investor in the company.
Droni is integrated with 11 intelligent flight modes, including follow-me features, circling, fading, soaring, time-lapse, tail flicking, and broad and straightforward shooting. It is also integrated with target management, level-7 wind resistance, and an intelligent voice somatosensory control that makes way for one-hand control when required. Its three-axis mechanical stabilised pan tilt ensures perfect stable shots, a company release said.
India has over 7 lakh consumer drones and nano drones (under 250 g), which don’t require DGCA certifications or pilot licences. Most consumer drones and toy drones originate from China.
Garuda’s entry into the consumer drone segment with Droni is seen as an interesting development, especially with Dhoni backing the IPO-bound start-up, which is poised to become the first drone unicorn startup, according to industry experts.
Droni has a 48 MP camera with wide-angle lens optical flow positioning and delivers 60 minutes of flight time. Priced ₹1.4 lakh, Droni is available at an introductory price of ₹85,000 exclusively on Amazon. The launch is accompanied by an integrated marketing campaign, including an ad film featuring Dhoni, the release said.