Antigravity is a New 360-Degree Drone Company Incubated by Insta360
Antigravity is the name of a new drone company. Launched out of “incubation” inside of Insta360, the company says its goal is to “redefine aerial exploration and storytelling” and will do so when it launches a sub-249g form factor, 360-degree drone with 8K resolution later this year.
The announcement of Antigravity stops short of fully announcing a product and is instead focused on announcing the new brand. At the core of the company is the plan to bring immersive, 360-degree flight to users with the goal to “own this space completely.” Antigravity will also aim to “replace the technical complexity inherent in both drone flying and 360-degree videography with expressive, story-first experiences that are easy to master yet exceptionally powerful.”
As is common with brand launches that aren’t also bringing forward tangible hardware simultaneously, Antigravity’s language is focused on emotion, feeling, and broad company goals.
“Today, most drones are tools. With Antigravity, we’re aiming higher,” BC Nie, Head of Marketing at Antigravity, says. “While others compete on specs, we’ve flipped the script, reimagining what a drone should be able to do. The result is something that empowers real emotion and enables experiences like freedom, creativity, and discovery for everyone.”
Antigravity says that it is designing its approach to products with ease of use at the forefront. It describes its coming drones as for “curious” people who may not have any experience with drones at all. To that end, it promises that users need zero experience to use Antigravity products and says it has created a way to compress what are typically complex flight controls into something for everyone.
“Antigravity — and its upcoming first product — launches at a pivotal moment when hardware, software, and user expectations have finally aligned. After years of quiet development, the technology is ready to support a new kind of drone experience. This drone is set to revolutionize the industry, introducing several world-firsts in drone design that enable pilots to experience and capture the world in ways that weren’t possible before,” the company expounds.
“The drone has been designed to reflect Antigravity’s commitment to building a product ecosystem with unique personality, meaningful features, and a clear sense of purpose. To ensure that Antigravity drones are used solely for exploration and storytelling, all drones will include smart safety features such as payload detection to prevent misuse or unauthorized modifications.”
Antigravity’s press release is dripping with consistent themes: ease of use, immersion, and exploration. There is a lot that can be taken from these themes, especially given the development of drone technology to this point. Immersion suggests headgear, similar to what DJI did with the Avata and FPV drones. Ease of use speaks to the company’s statements that it has developed a control system unlike what is currently on the market. Exploration might mean an emphasis on flying and enjoying the experience of editing instead of what is typical: the visual fidelity of the end result.
Something else to consider is that while the company has stated 8K resolution, it is unlikely that the camera technology will veer too far away from what Insta360 has already brought to the 360-degree market. Since Antigravity was incubated in and spinning out of Insta360, it is more likely that — as far as cameras go — it will borrow much from what the parent company has brought to market rather than strike out with something wholly new.
Whatever the case, the wait won’t be too long: Antigravity plans to unveil its first drone in August.
Image credits: Antigravity
