New firmware update for Dragonfish and Voyager App

The Dragonfish is our largest, most powerful offering to date, and one of the most uniquely versatile on the market. We’re committed to constant improvement and providing our users consistent updates to keep the Dragonfish operating at peak capacity. To that end, we’ve rolled out a new firmware update to increase safety, versatility, and data accuracy. 

Let’s go over the update’s key features and how to set them up.

New Software Updates

New Pre-Flight Checklist

When the pilot is ready to take off, the App will now display a list of safety items to check: 

• Ensure wing latches are locked properly

• Ensure tail is properly connected to fuselage 

• Ensure wingtip propellers are properly attached and are rotated to lock

• Ensure the gimbal is secured with the red dot on the locked position 

• Ensure the battery is snapped firmly in place 

• Ensure the speed sensor (pitot tube) cover is removed

Total Flight Time Display Added to Settings

Users can now check how many total flight hours their Dragonfish has. It’s recommended to send it in for maintenance checks every 200 flight hours. The App will notify you when the Dragonfish is nearing 200 hours so you can prepare to send it in. 

• Go to Settings → About, and the flight time will be displayed 

Camera Projected Area Display

When flying in map view, a yellow box highlighting the camera’s field of view will be projected on the map. The GPS coordinates of the camera view’s centerpoint will display for easier tracking. 

The user can also change the camera angle from -3° (almost straight ahead) to -90° (straight down). 

• NOTE: This feature can be turned on in the Projection Area option in the Aircraft Settings Menu

Flight Log Replay

Users logged into their Autel Robotics account can now review and upload flight data from the Flight Records option in the User Center. 

Quick Missions Enabled in Manual Flight

Users can now directly set up and execute quick mission modes, including intelligent tracking and point of interest, during manual flight without needing to navigate through another menu.

Bug Fixes and Optimizations

Improved Intelligent Tracking Functionality 

Four improved intelligent tracking are now available: 

• Simple Tracking: the aircraft will fly in a circle around the target

• Circular Tracking: the aircraft will fly in a circle offset from the target 

• 8-Shape: the aircraft will fly in a figure eight around the target to ensure the gimbal is always pointing at the target without snapping 

• Synchronous: the aircraft can now move with the target, speeding up, slowing down, or entering hover mode to keep even with the subject 

Vertical Landing Altitude Now Available in Mission Settings

Landing altitude is now integrated into the mission settings menu, making it more convenient to set all flight parameters during mission setup. Previously, landing altitude was set in a separate menu. 

Translation Improvements

Previously reported translation bugs have now been fixed. 

Installing the Update 

The firmware update is easy to install, just follow these simple steps: 

1. Make sure that the aircraft, ground station, and base station are all turned on and that linking is successful.

2. When the ground station is connected to the network, it will automatically detect the new firmware and prompt the user to download.

3. After completing the download, click "Upgrade" and wait for the operation page to prompt "Firmware Upgrade Complete.” 

Conclusion

The Dragonfish is a revolutionary eVTOL Fixed-Wing sUAS engineered for peak performance. Whether utilized for search and rescue, industrial inspection, maritime patrol, or geo surveying, Autel Robotics strives to provide the best capability, innovation, and versatility in our entire line of drones and UAS. 

For more information about the Dragonfish series, check out our website for a full rundown on specs, or go to our blog to learn about more use cases and industry news.