NO JELLO: Invisi360 is an invisible 360 camera FPV drone for Insta360 One R

Newbeedrone Invisi360 is a new FPV quad that can use the Insta360 One R to capture aerial 360 videos without the drone in the shot.  It is not the first invisible 360 drone, but it has some unique features, and has no jello.  Here’s a sample video I shot:

Invisi360 is a new BNF FPV drone that can capture aerial 360 videos without being visible in the shot.  It has 3-inch props and 2004 1750kv motors that can be used either with 4S or 6S power.  Interestingly, the Invisi360 is available only with a Caddx Vista digital VTX, which is paired with the DJI HD camera.  There is no analog option.  It is available with TBS Crossfire or as PNP for your own choice of receiver (if using Frsky or other receivers, be sure to consider how you will have the antenna stay out of the One R’s view).

Invisi360 uses the Newbeedrone Infinity200 F4 20×20 flight controller and Infinity200 45A 4-in-1 ESC.  The weight without camera or battery is 250 grams.  With the recommended batteries, it is 369 grams and with the One R and batteries, it is 456 grams.

Here’s a product video:

Features and Advantages

Newbeedrone’s Invisi360 is not the first invisible 360 camera drone but it has several unique features.

No Jello:  Possibly its most important feature, the Invisi360 has no jello, which is an issue with some 360 camera drones such as a DJI Mavic Pro with the One R Aerial Mod.  In the sample I shot above, there is no jello.  I didn’t have to do anything to remove the jello.

Invisible prop guards: To fly indoors or near people, FPV quadcopters generally need prop guards because they do not have GPS stabilization.  The problem is that prop guards are usually visible to a 360 camera, which is why invisible 360 drones such as the BetaFPV X-Knight 360 do not have prop guards.  The Invisi360 has uniquely designed carbon fiber prop guards that are invisible to the One R.  And rather than use ducts as in many cinewhoops, the Invisi360 uses frame-like prop guards that are lighter and have much less wind resistance.

Dual batteries: One of the unique challenges in designing a 360 camera drone is the battery, which has to be slim enough not to be visible to the 360 camera.  At the same time, you need sufficiently large capacity to carry the extra weight.  This limits the number of available batteries that can be used.  Newbeedrone’s clever solution is to use two smaller batteries in parallel, which act like one larger capacity battery.  This makes it easier to find batteries that are slim enough to be invisible to the One R (Newbeedrone recommends using 4S 650mah batteries).  At the same time, having two batteries on either side improves the balance of the quad.

WARNING: Please note that using the batteries in parallel requires precautions similar to parallel charging — you must use identical batteries with the same number of cells, same chemistry (e.g. LiPo or LiHV), same voltage, and state of charge.  If you use batteries with different voltages, the lower-voltage battery can overheat, puff and/or explode.

Optional 6S power: For greater power, Newbeedrone says that two 3S batteries can be used in series to act like a 6S battery.  The included Newbeedrone Flow 2004 1750KV motors can be used with 6S as well.  (I’m assuming the PID profile can automatically change if it detects that 6S is being used.)   However, the package does not appear to include a power cable for connecting the batteries in series.  I also don’t know how easily a series cable can be hidden from the One R.

Lens protectors:  Another issue with 360 camera drones is protecting the lens.  To capture a 360 view, a 360 camera’s lenses have to protrude from the body on both sides.  However, on a drone, this makes the lenses vulnerable to scratches, especially when landing.  Invisi360 includes custom-made lens protectors that protect the lens while being invisible to the One R.  It’s a nice touch although I wish Newbeedrone had just made it compatible with the One R lens guard so that user could also use the One R ND filters.

USB or Wireless Transfer: You don’t have to remove the One R from the Invisi360 to get your files.  The Invisi360 has an easily accessible USB Type C port to transfer data.  Alternatively, you can use Wi-Fi to download the One R files.  But please note that you’ll have to power the One R with a USB power source (if you use the Invisi360 battery while transferring files, then the Caddx Vista will get very hot).

Disadvantages

Invisi360’s design is quite intriguing, although I think it has some disadvantages.  First, the One R seems a bit inconvenient to remove.  It looks like you need to insert the One R 360 mod and Core (without the One R battery) into a TPU frame that has to be screwed onto the Invis360 frame.  It would take at least a few minutes to remove the One R from the Invisi360.  Hopefully you didn’t forget to insert the Micro SD card.

Second, there is no ND filter available for this design, an issue that could have been avoided if Newbeedrone had instead made the Invisi360 compatible with the One R lens guards.

Third, this quad is not for newbies.  360 camera drones are generally more difficult to fly because you’ll need to have sufficient skill to land them without scratching the lenses.  But in addition, the use of the dual batteries requires precautions when using batteries in parallel or in series to avoid risk of a fire.

Price and availability

Invisi360 is available direct from Newbeedrone, starting at $459 for Caddx Vista PNP, which can be used without an additional receiver if you have a DJI FPV controller, or $479 for the version with Caddx Vista and TBS Crossfire.   Please note the price does not include the One R (you’ll have to use your own camera).

Considering it is equipped with Caddx Vista, the Invisi360 is reasonably priced but does cost a bit more than the digital version of the BetaFPV X-Knight 360.  On the other hand, it does have several unique features, and more importantly, seems to have no jello visible in the sample from Limitless Sky Media.   I already have two invisible FPV drones (X-Knight 360 and Cinebird), plus the One R Aerial Mod, but I’m still tempted to get this for its uniqueness.  It will definitely be on my radar.