Gray. That's the color – or, more accurately, shade – that I've come to associate with drones after years and years of flying predominantly DJI drones because DJI own over 70% of the market share. There is no reason for all drones to be a variant of gray; even DJI used to go for a bit more variety (white for the Phantom and first-gen Inspire), and the DJI co-developed Ryze Tello also offered a few options, but time has moved on.
But the new DJI Mic 3 is transparent, as is the DJI robot vacuum seen for sale in China. Wouldn't it be cool to see a drone like that? Is there any reason why DJI hasn't been a bit more creative with the colors of its drones? After all other companies have managed it – Autel might now be pulling out of the consumer market, but it made waves with bright orange drones which shone out like a construction worker's high-vis jacket.
Time was that even DJI wasn't above adding a bit of color to its range. Does anyone remember the DJI Spark, or is that only a drone that old men like me can remember? It was a DJI drone unashamedly targeting consumers – perhaps the first – and it did have quite stubby, very robust gray legs, but it also featured a colored shell which was in shades as striking as red.
The Spark wasn't a bad drone for the size, but it pre-dated the rules about 250g so it was not destined to survive the 'Mini' era. Sadly it seems that weight restrictions have claimed the bling from the back of the newer drone.
Now, though, DJI is finally facing a bit of competition from the likes of startup Antigravity (funded by Insta360), so perhaps it might be time for something attention grabbing, and I can't be the only one who wants to see drones that just, look, well, 'cool'.
Because if DJI don't do something to make the consumer drone range look more interesting, then the DJI Romo might actually look better than most of the drones on the market. (Admittedly in English-language markets that's not a choice that customers have faced yet, as the Romo hasn't left China yet, but it gives an idea of the thinking happening in DJI Towers).
What problems would need solving if a drone were to include some transparency in the plastic shell? Assuming that the plastic had the same strength characteristics as the robust gray materials we've seen thus far, the only real problem I can foresee would be light leaking onto components that expect to measure light from a specific direction.
This could be a bit of an issue, though a collar would solve it. This is no doubt why transparent cameras aren't much of a thing, but I'm not seriously suggesting see-through camera gimbals. I'm thinking more about the shell of the drone, where the only optical components are the various collision & positioning sensors.
One solution would be a transparent top and opaque base shell – enough that you could see some components and derive some interest, but not risk leaks from the landing sensors.
Anyway, I do not design drones. It's just a thought.
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