DJI’s new drone speaker lets cops yell at you from the sky

DJI’s new drone accessory is designed to ensure public safety and emergency officials are heard loud and clear — and I mean really loud. Its enterprise-focused Zenmuse V1 speaker can broadcast the sound of someone’s voice at up to 127 decibels at 1 meter, a number DJI says is “on par with the sound level of a jet taking off.”

The speaker, which can be mounted on DJI’s enterprise Matrice 350 RTK and Matrice 300 RTK drones, can broadcast sound at up to 500 meters. To transmit a message, users can make a recording, use text-to-speech, or upload an audio file within the DJI Pilot 2 app.

DJI says the speaker is useful for public safety, emergency rescue, and other applications, but the video shared by the company also suggests it could be used for security. One scene shows the drone blaring a message above a busy road, saying: “No parking. Please drive away.”

In addition to a speaker, DJI revealed a Zenmuse S1 spotlight that can be mounted on the Matrice 350 RTK and Matrice 300 RTK drones along with it. The spotlight features something called Laser Excited Phosphor (LEP) technology “for enhanced light penetration.” It offers low-beam and high-beam light modes, and can also enable both at the same time for a maximum observation distance of up to 500 meters.

DJI still hasn’t released the pricing or availability of the new accessories yet, but the future of its products in the US remains in question, as it still faces a potential ban.