CLEO ROBOTICS and the DRONUT X1

Everyone likes donuts!!

How about donuts + drones?

According to its makers, Cleo Robotics, the D X1 (or, Dronut® X1) is the "Next Generation Unmanned Flight." It's a portable, rugged and reliable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) drone that can be used almost anywhere that's hard for humans to access - straight up from Star Wars.

Read on to find out more about what powers this cutting-edge drone and its potential benefits.

What is it?

The "D" in D X1 is short for "Dronut," a clever play on words because of the drone's doughnut-shaped body. As Cleo Robotic's flagship product, it's a drone designed for indoor use across various industries.

While it has many potential uses, its primary purpose is for inspection and surveillance in environments that are difficult to reach or cover by humans. For example, massive warehouses, crawl spaces, tanks or vessels, and even other vehicles.

At just 15.5 oz and with dimensions of 6.5" x 4", the D X1 can fit in the palm of your hand. While speed is not its main priority, it can fly at up to 4m/s.

How does it work? What technology does it use?

First of all, the D X1 uses WiFi to communicate with a range of up to 1 km, depending on the environment.

To be both hyper-efficient and stable in-flight (12 min flight time after 40 min charging), it uses Cleo's patented thrust vectoring ducted fan design.

While the D X1 is undeniably impressive from the outside, the inside is just as enjoyable. The drone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and a suite of cutting-edge sensors, including 3D LiDAR.

This combination is what gives it the autonomous capabilities to make decisions about its environment and maneuver itself. With LED headlights, it can also navigate in the dark.

Finally, a 4K global shutter camera allows it to take crystal clear footage of its environment.

Best of all, the drone can be controlled in several ways via a convenient smartphone app, even using a PlayStation controller.

What is it used for?

There are possible applications for the D X1 drone across nearly all industries, including:

• Critical infrastructure and industrial monitoring, inspection, and security.
• Law enforcement.
• Military and defense.
• Surveillance and security in the commercial sector.

What are the benefits of using the D X1?

• Can navigate itself in dangerous or challenging environments, even without a GPS connection.
• The completely enclosed propellers mean the X1 is safe to handle around people and fragile objects.
• The DX 1's compact design is one of the smallest in class, making it easy to maneuver in tight spaces.
• Easy-to-learn controls can be used in many ways via an Android device.
• The battery is both rechargeable as well as easy to replace.

Who is Cleo Robotics?

Cleo Robotics is a Boston-based company specializing in unconventional robotic systems. Most of their products are designed to help clients collect data and surveil dangerous and challenging to reach areas. They were the first to develop a stable and highly maneuverable ducted bi-rotor drone, such as the D X1.

We do not own the rights to images or videos used in this blog post. 

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently - Henry Ford