Drone News Roundup: FPV Fly Through at Tesla Factory, New DJI Avata Goggles Revealed in Leak, and More!

This week we’re covering a fast cinewhoop-style flythrough shot at Tesla’s huge Gigafactory in Berlin.

We’re also covering recent leaks about DJI Goggles 2 for the DJI Avata, a video highlighting an expedition Flyability took to Iceland to support scientific research along with LiDAR sensor-maker Ouster, information on how to activate insurance on a DJI drone, and the first delivery ever made by US Mail to a drone mailbox.

Now on to the links!

Cinewhoop Fly Through at Tesla’s Giga Berlin

This super fast FPV fly through at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin provides a sneak peek into how Tesla makes its electric cars. Though the drone is flying pretty fast, it looks like parts of the video have been sped up to move the viewer on to more interesting areas of the plant. Despite speeding up some footage the video is still almost three minutes long, which reveals just how massive the factory is. There are some pretty hairy shots in here, with the drone flying into a machine that’s slowly opening and closing and seeming to just barely make it out before it closes again. If you’re a fan of technology, or just of cinewhoop-style fly throughs, you’ll enjoy this tour that takes you from assembly line all the way through to finished product.

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New DJI Avata Goggles Revealed in Recent Leak

New goggles coming up! pic.twitter.com/op7kM9WcQL

— OsitaLV (@OsitaLV) August 3, 2022

More and more leaks have been coming out recently about the Avata, DJI’s first cinewhoop-style indoor drone. Leaked pictures of it first started hitting social media in May, and last week the Avata appeared in an FCC filing, making it clear that its launch is imminent. The latest Avata news is that it looks like its launch will be accompanied by the release of a new set of goggles, shown in the tweet above. Called Googles 2, the new goggles appear to be smaller than the first generation, and have two cooling vents on the bottom.

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Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall Volcano Is Erupting Again—And a New Video Highlights Flyability’s Recent Expedition There

Back in May we wrote about a mission to Iceland that Flyability undertook to support scientific research. On the mission, Flyability’s new Elios 3 was used by scientists from La Venta, a research organization based in Italy, to create 3D models of lava tubes on the Fagradalsfjall Volcano and of ice caves on the Vatnajökull Glacier. You may remember Fagradalsfjall as the active volcano that so many people were flying their drones into as it erupted—and it’s erupting again. This video produced by Ouster, makers of the LiDAR sensor that comes on the Elios 3, highlights the expedition and the goals of La Venta’s research.

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Here’s How to Make Sure Your DJI Insurance Is Active

Credit: DJI

Want to insure your DJI drone? DJI Care Refresh lets you cover your drone in the event of an accident or flyaway. But be careful—if you don’t bind your controller to your drone, you could risk paying for coverage that isn’t actually active. We recently heard from a drone pilot after a flyaway who had trouble making a claim with DJI. Even though the pilot had paid for DJI Care Refresh and thought they had activated it, they hadn’t completed the binding, so it wasn’t actually active.

Here’s everything you need to know:

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Drone Mailbox Receives First US Mail Delivery

Credit: DroneDek

This Monday, the world’s first delivery by the U.S. Postal Service to a drone mailbox—also called a smart mailbox—was made. The mailbox is made by DroneDek, a company focused on making climate-controlled receptacles for drone deliveries. The same day a drone also delivered a meal from McDonald’s to a DroneDek mailbox, keeping it warm until it was taken inside for lunch. These deliveries took place in Lawrence, Indiana, where DroneDek has been making drone delivery tests.

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