R1 tracks you using visual navigation. The Skydio app on your phone is used to control R1's modes of operation - takeoff, landing, cinematic skills, etc. - and R1 can use your phone's GPS signal to help it find you if visual tracking becomes challenging. Even if R1 moves outside of your phone's WiFi range, it will use your phone's GPS to continue flying, whether it is following you or not.
Here's how it works:
When following a subject:
R1 will keep tracking the subject for 10-30 seconds and then hover in place until it reconnects to your phone's WiFi. If you're unable to reconnect to R1 via WiFi in this state, it will hover safely until its battery reaches a critically low level, at which point it will land near its current location.
When not following a subject:
R1 will automatically return to your phone’s last-known GPS location. Once it reaches this location, R1 will safely hover safely until you reconnect. Should R1 continue to hover until its battery reaches a critically low level, it will land near its current location.
- If the GPS signal of the phone or vehicle is inaccurate due to environmental conditions, R1 will hover in place until it reconnects, or until its battery reaches a level low enough to require it to land near its current location (as above). Be sure to check out our related articles on GPS for more details.
If you have any additional questions or need any help at all, don't hesitate to contact us.