DJI drone made for PC; debuts this November for $499 but here's the catch

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Nov 03, 2015 06:00 AM EST

With the introduction of the Manifold, DJI is now making drones with brains.

What's the catch? The Manifold is not for the average consumer or people who use phantom drones for aerial photography.

According to Fortune, it is designed specifically for app developers using DJI's Matrice 100 platforms. Michael Perry, the Director of Strategic Partnerships issued the following statement on PR Newswire:

"With the Manifold, we are entering a new era of smarter, faster and more powerful aerial platforms. Manifold opens up for aerial and ground technology to intelligently work together to solve complex problems."

This mini PC features a Quad-core ARM Cortex A-15 processor with an NVIDIA Kepler-based GPU. It runs on Ubuntu's operating system with support for Open CV, ROS and CUDA says TechCrunch.

An image from news site indicates that this mini PC device features ports for USB, Ethernet and HDMI monitors. The device can also be used with third-party sensors, infrared cameras and geographical surveying equipment among others says PR Newswire.

In a report by PCMag, the Manifold does not require a lot of power to run. DJI said in a statement that its maximum power consumption is around 15W, about a fourth of the power needed to run a laptop.

The Manifold can change the way drones are being used. With this device, drones can be used to collect and analyze data while flying then transferring the data to machines on the ground in near real-time.

With this device, Fortune says developers can create apps that would help create 3D models out of images. In agriculture, farmers can use the drone's camera to evaluate how well the crops are growing.

A number of developers have already started creating apps for drones. Pix4DMapper has developed an app which turns the drone into a mapmaker while Autopilot Phantom is an app for the iPhone and iPad that can transform your Phantom into a Smart Drone.

The Manifold is currently on sale at $499 with units available for shipping beginning Nov. 15. Developers interested in trying out the device will need to spend another $3,299 for the Matrice drone says Engadget.

A recent PC Mag report indicates that all Manifold units will come with a five-year maintenance warranty with support for HiDPI screens and multi-touch devices.

"We are excited to see what applications our developer community will come up with for this new platform," Perry said to PR Newswire.

DJI Tutorials has uploaded this video to help Manifold owners attach the device onto the Matrice 100.

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