The DJI Inspire 1 Pro drone is one of the best drones on the planet. The Jaguar XJ is one of the best cars on the planet. Put the two together and you get a perfect match for some amazing footage. Jaguar and DJI teamed up to see how the DJI Inspire 1 Pro would stack up in a chase against a high end performance car. Hollywood stunt driver Mark Higgins drove the XJ while top notch drone pilots flew the Inspire 1 Pro. The point behind this exercise was to showcase how DJI drones and cameras will influence the future of car chase filming in Hollywood blockbusters. Before we continue on, have a look at the behind the scenes footage of what DJI and Jaguar filmed.
With one eye on a future potential movie stunt sequence, Higgins and drone pilot and racer JaeHong Li used the challenge to highlight how technology is developing in both the automotive and unmanned aircraft sectors.
The development of advanced driver assistance systems with radar sensors and on board cameras is closely aligned to the development of technology in drones, which are now being used for everything from racing to autonomous parcel delivery.
“Drones are becoming increasingly integrated into society and they can do some amazing things these days,” said Higgins, who is also a champion rally driver. “So when Jaguar offered up the XJ and all its technology to go up against one of the world’s top drone pilots, I jumped at the chance.”
“The Jaguar XJ is designed for the luxury executive market, but it is still a dynamic drive and very capable in all environments. So this was an exciting challenge to use it in. It was certainly up to the chase, and we found some fun ways to evade the drone!”
The challenge, which took place at the Zhuhai International Circuit in China, saw Higgins trying to shake off the drone through an industrialised zone containing shipping containers, wide tree-lined boulevards, pit garages and an underground car park. The XJ demonstrated agility and control with effortless performance during the challenge.
Technology is making waves in both the car and drone industries – with the drone pilot using autonomous circling and 360-degree camera searching and Higgins in the XJ, benefitting from electric power assisted steering that improves responsiveness and feedback as well systems that use sensors and four on board cameras.
Drone pilot JaeHong Li said: “Technology in drones is developing fast, and like cars, the latest trend is for pilot assistance. The DJI Inspire 1 drone we used is more about precision and poise than outright pace. It has the best-in-class, stabilized Zenmuse X5 aerial camera aboard, as it is mainly used for filming, and was perfect for this challenge.
“Flying against the car gave us some interesting insight into how this kind of technology can be used for filming cars – and I think we’ve shown there’s some big potential for future movie car-chase sequences!”
DJI spokesperson Chinmoy Lad said: “The biggest challenge here was having a drone film a drone racing a car. The coordination required between the three separate machines, as well as those behind the machines, was extraordinary. They certainly displayed their skill here, assisted very much by the on-board technology which helped the pilots stabilise and manoeuvre in the required fashion.”
For more on the DJI Inspire 1 and other DJI drones checkout their website below.
[button link=”http://www.dji.com/product/inspire-1-pro-and-raw” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]DJI Website[/button]Last Updated on February 14, 2017.
