It feels like it was forever ago, since it set the drone industry alight with speculation, excitement, and the anticipation of an international slap fight between Insta360 and DJI, two of the most prominent action camera manufacturers.
It was just a little over two weeks ago that Insta360 announced its drone sub-brand, Antigravity. Now, on August 14, they’ve pulled the wraps off their introductory product, the A1. Antigravity made big promises, and here it is: the world’s first 8K-resolution, 360-degree camera drone.
the deets
Antigravity lists the A1’s weight at 249 grams, which equates to about 8.8 ounces. There are two cameras placed above and below the drone’s fuselage, and according to Antigravity the two cameras’ images combine into one with “seamless stitching.”
“This enables complete environmental capture with no drone visible and no blind spots in the frame,” Antigravity says.
The A1’s 360-degree camera means the operator doesn’t have to worry about pointing it in the right direction during flight, as with a normal camera drone. They can just reframe their shot in post-production and export multiple camera angles from a single clip in any aspect ratio without downgrading the image quality.
Rather than control the drone through control sticks, as with a typical drone (or a PlayStation controller, if that’s what you’re more familiar with), Antigravity’s Grip Controller responds to hand gestures while the operator looks through the Vision Goggles through the drone’s point of view. The goggles track head movements, so the user just has to look where they want the camera to move.
Because it’s a 360-degree camera, the operator isn’t tied to looking in the direction in which the A1 is flying. Through the Vision Goggles, they can look in any direction they want as they fly the drone, via the Grip Controller, another way. Look southeast and fly west, for example.
There’s a return-to-home function, in which the operator can direct the drone to find the operator, even if the operator has lost their bearings while flying. Such a feature is a necessity, I think, for anything more than toy drones that won’t leave the backyard.
The Antigravity A1 launches for sale in January 2026. There’s no word yet on pricing, but I’ll continue to keep up with the news as we all greedily await details, leaks, rumors, and gentle whispers regarding the A1.
The post Antigravity Pulls the Wraps off the A1, the World’s First 8K 360-Degree Drone appeared first on VICE.
