DJI Releases the Dock 2 and Matrice 3D in the U.S.
BY Zacc Dukowitz
2 April 2024The Matrice 3D and the DJI Dock 2 came out back in November of 2023—but only in China.
DJI has followed this pattern lately with several commercial models. Over the last year it’s rolled out the FlyCart 30, it’s first delivery drone, and several models of its Agras agriculture drones in China first, then later in America.
Now, the M3D and the Dock 2 are both finally for sale in the U.S.
The two work together to create a single solution: A drone-in-a-box made for regular monitoring in industries like surveying, inspections, asset management, and security.
How Much Does the Dock 2/M3D Solution Cost?
The Dock 2 is selling in a combo package with either the Matrice 3D and the Matrice 3DT (a thermal version of the new Matrice).
Credit: DJI
DJI hasn’t shared U.S. pricing publicly for the Dock 2 yet, but here’s what we’ve been able to find:
- The Dock 2 with the Matrice 3D starts at $14,000
- The Dock 2 with the Matrice 3DT starts at $16,000
Both versions of the Dock 2 are available for preorder starting March 26. It will only be sold through authorized DJI Enterprise dealers.
Emphasis on Dock 2 Over the Matrice 3D
One thing to note about how DJI is positioning the second generation of its drone-in-a-box solution is that it’s marketing highlights the Dock over the drone itself. (The first generation was the DJI Dock coupled with the Matrice 30.)
In the title of DJI’s statement announcing the release, only the Dock 2 is mentioned, leaving out the Matrice 3D altogether.
Today, far too many workers must perform repetitive but complex and dangerous jobs manually onsite. With DJI Dock 2, we’re delivering a cost-effective automatic aerial solution to complete these jobs efficiently from a safe distance.
– Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI
This framing puts an emphasis on the fact that the two pieces of technology really are complimentary parts to a whole, and are meant to be purchased and used together.
The idea is backed up by the fact that the M3D was designed specifically to work with the Dock 2.
The Dock 2 is smaller, as is the Matrice 3D, and both create a single nest-with-drone tool for providing autonomous visual and/or thermal data collection.
Specs for the Dock 2 and the Matrice 3D
The biggest change from the Dock + Matrice 30 to the Dock 2 + Matrice 3D is size.
Both the Dock 2 and the M3D are a lot smaller than their predecessors. But they’re still powerful data collection tools—as DJI notes, you can use the Dock 2 with DJI FlightHub 2 to create high-precision 3D models for a host of use cases.
And the Matrice 3D can be programmed to automatically adjust its camera’s angle to capture the same area in subsequent flights, supporting automation for routine surveying or inspection/monitoring tasks.
Dock 2 Specs
Credit: DJI
Here are the main specs and features for the Dock 2:
- Small and lightweight. The DJI Dock 2 weighs 75 pounds (34kg), making it 68% lighter than the original Dock—a weight that two people can carry by hand, which would be challenging with the Dock. It also measures 22.4 inches in length x 22.9 inches in width x 18.3 inches in height (570mm x 583mm x 465mm), a size that 75% smaller than the original.
- Built-in site evaluation. Not sure where to place the Dock 2? It comes with vision sensors to evaluate a potential deployment site, ensuring the flight path and destination have good GNSS signals. This automated site evaluation helps expedite site selection, cutting time from 5 hours to 12 minutes or less.
- Built for extreme weather. The Dock 2 can operate in harsh climates and environments. It’s IP55-rated for dust and water resistance and uses gauges for rainfall, wind speed, and temperature to sense real-time weather changes.
- Support for automated missions. The Dock 2 can be programmed to complete missions automatically, but at any time, operators can control the flight and gimbal angle from anywhere. Internal and external fisheye lenses provide real-time conditions within and outside the dock, allowing operators to remotely observe weather conditions, environmental circumstances, and takeoff and landing situations.
- Easy support. The Dock 2 only requires maintenance every six months. Also, if there’s a power outage it can operate independently with its built-in battery for 5 hours, leaving sufficient time for the drone to return and land. If a flight task fails DJI FlightHub 2 immediately sends email notifications, allowing operators to trace and troubleshoot problems quickly and accurately.
DJI Matrice 3D Specs
Credit: DJI
Here are the main specs and features of the Matrice 3D and 3DT:
- Flight time. 50-minute max.
- Operating radius. 6 miles.
- IP rating. IP54 for wind and dust.
- Camera. Comes with a tele camera (1/2″ CMOS, 162mm format equivalent, 12MP of effective pixels) and a wide camera (4/3″ CMOS, 24mm format equivalent, 20 MP of effective pixels) with a mechanical shutter, meeting the needs for 1:500 high-precision mapping tasks.
- Thermal (on M3DT). Infrared camera (40mm format equivalent, 640×512 resolution for normal mode and 1280×1024 resolution for UHR infrared image mode, 28x digital zoom) that can depict both visible light and thermal images.
- Modular payload. Both the DJI Matrice 3D and the 3DT support the use of third-party payloads such as loudspeakers, spotlight, or parachute using the E-Port and E-Port Lite (all sold separately).
