DJI's new Matrice 5T is another in the company's flagship line of compact enterprise drones, which use LiDAR, mmWave radar and IP55 waterproofing to fly in almost any conditions. It brings a significant boost to the capabilities of its predecessor with a 1280x1024 thermal camera – quadrupling the previous native resolution.
The new Matrice 5T also brings a powerful camera array including a 1/0.98-inch wide-angle, a 50MP medium telephoto (3x optical zoom) and a powerful 11x optical zoom.
That zoom range can be digitally increased to 176x "hybrid zoom" which, DJI says, allows the viewing of a license plate number from up to 1,300ft (400m), while there is the ability to detect obstacles as small as power cables.
This is boosted by the integration of LiDAR, mmWave radar, and omnidirectional vision sensors. Laser range finding has also increased from 1.8km in the Matrice 4T to 3km. (US readers please note the Matrice 30T (which had a 1.2km laser rangefinder is the most recent model available in the USA because of import rules.)
The sensing system uses "full-color fisheye sensors" which allow it to hover in light as low as 0.5 lux, while DJI suggests that even with no vision at all (pitch black nighttime forests) the LiDAR can sense obstacles. The radar is crucial in operating under bridges, for example, where satellites don't serve.
As one of the company's enterprise products, the DJI Matrice 5T thermal drone targets customers including those conducting surveys on power infrastructure as well as law enforcement.
The drone brings powerful AI which can identify and track specific target types, not just types of types of vehicles but active emergencies. That means the list of 20 includes truck, bus, car, fire, smoke and forklift!
This isn't a device most of us will be rushing out to own – it's built with high-accuracy surveying, 3D capture, inspections, enforcement, and other industry operations in mind. The 59 minutes flight time won't hurt any of those tasks.
It does, however, give a good idea of the kind of capabilities which drone companies are increasingly capable of. The Matrice 5T can also land on a moving boat, for example – the kind of thing which might be more cheaply achieved on a consumer product like the HoverAir Aqua, but some time ago seemed less likely.
You can see the Matrice 5T and 5TD on DJI's site, and check out our guide to the best thermal drones
