DJI teams up with Swiss maker for durable commercial drones

DJI has done well by producing the most popular line of consumer drones on the market and becoming the largest drone company in the world. As fun as UAVs might be for consumers to tinker with, they are not known for their durability. First-time users might even prefer to practice flying with an inexpensive drone knowing that collisions are likely to occur. The lack of durability is a bigger deal for the commercial sector, which might be more inclined to use drones in tighter spaces than the average person would. This is why a Swiss company called Flyability has made a durable UAV and has teamed up with DJI to use the Shenzhen-based company's Lightbridge 2 video streaming technology.

The drone is called Elios and its durability comes in the form of a spherical enclosure that takes the brunt of the force on impact. The design enables the Elios to fly in complex environments with a lot of steel and concrete. This makes the drone ideal for inspecting commercial facilities. The enclosure allows it to get an up-close look at equipment in confined spaces and even makes it safe to fly around people.

It also cements DJI's place as a drone technology company, not just a drone hardware brand.

Commercial drones are becoming more popular among China companies, but Flyability's enclosure makes Elios unique. Most commercial drones these days focus on things such as agriculture and thermal imaging for outdoor use. The Elios, on the other hand is designed for indoor inspections. Flyability is not the first company to design a drone for indoors, either. That part of the market is just starting to take off.