How to follow someone else ?

[Coach]

Hello all. Looking for advice on how to set up the S2 to follow someone else. For example if I am on a beach and I want to follow a kayak , surfer, etc.... how do I get it to launch, fly a distance and then lock onto my target? As soon as I fly my S2 any distance, it does not offer any subject tracking targets.

Yesterday I tried to get my S2 to follow a wakeboarder from the tow boat and I could not get it to recognize the wakeboarder or even the boat. It is this kind of activity that I specifically bought it for.

Using the Beacon and iphone app... would the controller help?

 

[baksideDisasterFlicks]

The easiest way to lock is have the subject hold the drone when you launch. It'll turn around and automatically pick up who launched it. Have wake boarder wear the beacon in water proof phone bag. Once you start moving it should lock on the beacon. It helps if they are sitting realtively still when you are trying to lock which can be challenge in water.

Controller doesn't play well with the beacon it won't help this scenario. Also I recommend you set height 10ft+. Skydio gets confused by reflection off the water and may unexpectedly dive into the drink. Especial if it's glassy.

 

[ed.matthews4]

I think if you are using the beacon, it will only track that object/person.
Try using just the app and no beacon.

 

[harshl]

I had mine out on the water this past week. It was actually once of the first times I used it for any kind of significant tracking and boy was I nervous! Anyway, what I ended up doing was using the controller. I was tracking a surfer rather than a wakeboarder, but it worked well. I launched from the boat while it was still, manually flew it relatively close to the person in the water I wanted it to track. Once close enough, it showed me the blue plus sign, I clicked that, we took off and it followed. If they don't go too far under water when they go down, it will actually keep tracking them as well, otherwise, I had to manually pilot it back near them and start the tracking again.
It flew somewhat erratically at times, but did a great job keeping the subject in frame.

Like I said, I was super nervous, but it worked well. Not sure how often I will do it in the future, but probably will when the water isn't very busy. Landing it was the scariest part, but once the boat is still in the water a catch landing goes well.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

That's interesting, I found similar behavior with Anafi. The S2 and Anafi seem to follow a subject so far and so long without a GPS device, but it's not ideal.

Seems like Skydio could add full off board follow (optical only) without too much effort; however, it may open a can of worms with warranty repairs.

Obviously DJI's popular Active Track is optical only but does a poor job IMO. The S2 with proper OA and AI could probably do a great job if Skydio wanted it to.