Mark – The Ultra-Intelligent 4K Foldable Drone

I agree with @ReadyDot WeAre that this is not vapourware and that it will perform substantially as described. This is not their first drone, they manufacture the Zerotech Dobby (which I love!) and the Take under their own name. I have flown my Dobby using the Take version of the FlightGo app and it flew just fine. In my opinion the Dobby app is (far) better than the FlightGo app but that is just a software issue and, furthermore, I'm pretty sure that the Dobby app developers are very closely related to the FlightGo app developers. Given the above, there is no reason to believe that the Mark video will be any worse than the Dobby video which is perfectly acceptable. Also, I've seen an in depth review of the Hesper (branded as Zerotech but manufactured by HighGreat) that was pretty positive. I think that we can all agree that the creator's responses are below par which is disappointing but ... this is a well established company skilled in the development and manufacture of small drones of the Mark type. They are not a startup such as Torquing Group (Zano) and other drone failures were, they have plenty or resources behind them plus proven knowledge. Their customer skills could be better but, for me, that is not a reason to ditch this project. I'm excited by it.

@Jason Lowe
*1 to your comments.
At the end of the day we are backers/customers. Without us they would not be successful. So totally agree with your comments. It’s pretty simple. Question asked by backer. Creator responds in timely fashion regardless of how busy they are.

@ Readydot WeAre - I am pretty sure most of us here have already done that.. I totally agree that the Hesper looks like a great drone, and has some good reviews. I can totally appreciate that the High Great team are busy, but that does not mitigate the lack of answering backers questions. There were a number of questions asked by backers over a week ago, and HG advised they needed to speak to the R&D team. The creator was with the R&D team 4 days and posts 'we are working with the R&D team together answering all outstanding questions today and will update the FAQ' ... but they did not answer all the outstanding questions. This is really not going to boost backers confidence at all. We have still not been updated with any new videos of Mark, none of the remote control, none of the special features such as gesture and voice control etc in action.
I would not be here if I don't think this drone had great potential and is an amazing concept.

Guys, just look up High Great Hesper and Mark. You can find a lot of info on those products. This surely doesn't look like vaporware for once. The guys are just pretty busy promoting their product throughout the world.

This unfortunately is looking all very familiar... if answers to basic questions are being ignored/dodged now then the support normally always gets worse once they have the money...!

@Jason: I feel the same regarding your questions. It currently seems that the product is in production and the customers habe basic questions which cannot be answered. That is strange ...

At this rate, I’ll back out the final day. There’s absolutely no logical reason for questions being avoided and a lack of consistent, frequent communication. I’ve backed a number of campaigns. The ones I backed out of were ones with lack of communication. Most if not all of them never made it to the backers hands.

Creator claims that production of Mark started. Yet, needs R & D to provide tech specs. Strange to me, how can something being produced without tech specs? I’ve backed a few projects whereby creators gone COLD. I’m just wondering aloud. And will most likely pull out. I’ve enough of quiet creators!

@Gizmo, @Jason Lowe
I also hope that this project will work, because this drone seems really nice. But I don’t like how the creator responds and I have to admit the 12th July is marked in my calendar. I lost a lot of money when I backed for the ZANO Drone and don’t want that to happen again… I just don’t get it why he can’t answer our questions. According to him the drone is already in production, so everything should be easy to answer, shouldn’t it?

@ Seyato Aremola - A questionnaire should be sent out to all backers by the creator towards the end of the project where you will be required to fill in this sort of information.

@Jason Lowe,
Yes it appears the Creator do regularly log in but are not answering many off yours/mine & others questions which is very sad.
Hopefully they will have a change of heart & answer All of our questions & supply the videos they promised, if not then we all have the option to cancel our backing before July 13th.
This would be a shame as Mark promises so much but the ghost off many other failed drones hangs heavily in the air, I’m not saying that Mark will be a failure but if the Creator won’t respond to us now I fear what the customer service experience will be once the campaign concludes.

how do you insert your postal address?

Do you think it’s reasonable for me to get the impression the creator is deliberately not responding to any of my questions? This appears to have happened several times now...

Hi @Blair, thanks for all your sincere suggestion! We will summarize the questions and answers as soon as we can and add them to the FAQ session. Thanks for your trust in us, and we will try our best not to let you down.

@Blair: and you can also withdraw your money until the end of the campaign...

@Creator
Number of backers has slowed down considerably. Communication is KEY!!! Answering questions in a timely manner is KEY!!!!! All questions in comments should have corresponding answers placed in FAQ as they occur. You would have a lot more Backers if the above was maintained. Simply recommending for your success.

@Jason Lowe +1 - good and helpful info.

@ Sami - I think airlines actually stipulate that lipo batteries (spares) have to be taken as carry on items and not put in the hold due to their volatility. I can’t see there being any issue but just check with airline prior to flight. Also make sure you fly the drone within the regulations of the destination country, so check that too. It would probably good to mention at security that you have batteries and what they are intended to be used for. Batteries put into the hold have to be installed in the device for most airlines, make sure everything is packaged safely.

Hi, does anyone know if there might be any problems taking this to the airplane when traveling? Most likely best of course to put to the luggage and not carry on item but will there be any problems carrying drone overseas while flying?

How fast is Mark?

Hi. I have supported you too. Maybe you think about a small transport case you can add as the next gadget. Think about it. Other kickstarters also made a case for theire drones. :-)

@ Creator - In your update 6 you mentioned 'To express our gratitude for your support, we will ship to our early backers first' and also 'normally for any electronic devices there is an out capacity climbing stage, and it is at this stage that the product demand is more than its production' Please could you confirm what backer number would be classed as early? You previously mentioned that you expected all drones to be shipped in August, as this campaign is going successfully will you still have enough units available to ship all backers Mark's in August?

Thanks Doug :-)

Thanks Doug!

@Jason Lowe - 1. The creator has said elsewhere (FB I think) that the FOV of the photography camera is 75 degrees. 2. Also, I do remember reading somewhere that the VIO camera has an FOV of 180 degrees which I guess would enable the Mark to identify any objects not behind it.

@ Creator - You replied to some questions I re-posted on the 19th advising that you were waiting to speak to your R&D team, you were with your team yesterday and these questions still have not been addressed: Casey Liew Xia Xing - Regarding VIO and on board memory usage. Gavin Cowie - Regarding tracking and top speeds. Theo - Regarding drone carry weight. Matthias Tote - Regarding CE certification for EU import and whether backers will be responsible for import duties (I myself am in the EU and import duty could add approx 50gbp) I previously asked a question regarding positioning/tracking capability of the Mark using one sensor camera, compared to Qualcomm Flight development drone videos I have seen that had three sensor cameras. I have been thinking further about my question and Gizmos question asking if obstacle avoidance could be added as a firmware update... if this is even possible how well could Mark detect objects directly in front of it, when the sensor camera is angled at what looks like 45 degrees, with it's current hardware layout would it be able to 'see them'? Please could we be updated on when you will be posting the videos including some of the controller you mentioned you would post and also update us on any stretch goal? We would all really appreciate it, thanks!

What is the warranty on the Mark? What will availability of spare parts, batteries, props etc be after receipt of the drone?

Obstacle avoidance should be mandatory for a device promoted like this!

@Himmat - it is not better than the DJI Spark, it is different. It all depends on what you want as to whether it is better. Firstly, it is not available at a similar price (at least, not where I live). Secondly it is a lot lighter and doesn't require any registration, it also has folding arms and so will easily fit in your pocket. Thirdly it does not rely on GPS and compass and so is less susceptible to those failures. It will (or should) also have the ability to add comprehensive obstacle avoidance at some point in the future. It all depends on what you want as to what is best.

@ Himmat - In the UK the Spark is about 2x more than the Mark for the basic kit. Where can you get it for the same price?

How is this drone better than the DJI Spark which is also available at a similar price .

So, Mark does not have the ability to avoid obstacles. But don't worry, "Mark is very strong when it comes to [a] collision." This is billed as an intelligent flying machine, but it looks as if it relies on its brawn rather than its brain to survive.

@Mark Creator,
Thanks for those answers.
Will you be able to add a type of obstacle avoidance utilising the VIO in a software update in he future?.
Also any chance of those videos you mentioned a couple of weeks back because this may help those who are currently holding back from joining the campaign the added impotence to come onboard.

When do we get more stretch goals?
We've already reached 200k $ so an additional battery would be nice.

@ Maras - I asked this similar question a while back but still hasn’t been answered. I still don’t understand how the Mark can track, but not avoid an object either? The Qualcomm Flight development drones seemed to able to avoid objects in videos I’ve seen. There is also a video called ‘VIO swarm’ on YouTube where a number of drones hover together in a ‘Swarm’ and appear to avoid colliding with each other autonomously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch… So you detect (almost) everything with VIO and still there is no obstacle avoidance?
Why?

@ Creator - Also regarding Allen's question on spare parts - I think what he was asking is will there be anywhere we can purchase spares after the campaign ends? What if we ran out of spares props, a motor or battery fails , the prop guard gets damaged etc?

@ Creator - Do you have any answers to the few questions asked by some backers several days ago that you said you were waiting to consult with your r&d team on please?

@Creator
Thanks for the horizontal distance specified in the FAQ section. Two questions:
1. What is the vertical distance capability. From what I read 30M? 2. When the distance switch toggle in the app is applied what is the maximum horizontal and vertical distance capabilities and when would loss of control be?

@Fahad Javed
Thanks for your questions and sorry for getting back to you so late as we need to get the R&D team to answer some of thoses technical questions.
-The maximum distance when flying with a smartphone is 100 meters, as on our "spec section". When using the controller the limit is 250m. Once reaching the limit, we have a limit switch on the APP to let users choose if they would like to fly farther. -Mark is using Snapdragon Flight™ platform based on Snapdragon™ 801 -Mark does not have an internal barometer. -Yes, Like many other drones, Mark supports future firmware update as well as the FlightGo App. -Mark has memory cruise and can fly the trajectory you saved. -Yes, it has a USB port to export file, download flying trajectory and future firmware update. -Mark does not have obstacle avoidance, but for a drone weighing less than 250g with the propeller guards, Mark is very strong when it comes to collision. -No, it does not. -As Mark is in mass production stage now. Any hardware change will lead to delay.

@Atanas
The working temperature range is 0-40 degrees Centigrade for optimum performance.

@Spookie
At this point Qi wireless charging is not supported as we are already in mass production stage. All hardware change may lead to product dealy(that backers doesnt want). Like many other drones, mark supports and future firmware update as well as the FlightGo App.

@Allen
You can add the corresponding extra amount to your pledge to get extra batteries and spare parts.
Yes, charger is included in the kit.

@Creator
Thanks for the response. I look forward to seeing the FAQ updated. I truly believe the campaign will ‘take flight’ with questions answered in the FAQ. Here’s to your success!!!!

@Gizmo @Doug Conran
Mark has a hand launch & land feature. However, for safety reasons, we do not suggest using this indoors.

@Blair
Thanks Blair, we are working with the R&D team together answering all outstanding questions today and will update the FAQ.

@Jason Lowe - that used to be a big frustration but (IIRC) was fixed some time ago. My memory fails me a bit but I'm sure I recall being able to ignore an update.

@ Creator - I’ve read some reviews of owners of the Dobby drone in the UK that mentioned prior to each flight the drone checks servers for software updates. They mentioned that within the uk they have been unable to download these updates so the drones have essentially been grounded. I’m presuming the Mark would use a similar platform so is there any chance of having the same issues?

@Jason Lowe - the body width of the Mark looks to be a bit narrower than the Dobby, about the same as the Spark but I hand launch that as well so I assume it should be as easy as the Dobby Launching (and landing) the Dobby is simplicity itself. Just connect the app, open the arms, balance it on you open palm with fingers outstretched and press 'launch'. Landing is just as easy. Bring it down to shoulder height a foot or so in front of you, press 'land' and select palm landing, hold you palm out under the drone and let it sink onto your hand. It really is far easier than launching it from the ground and I have no reason to believe that the Mark will be any different.

@ Doug Conran - You were correct about hand launching... it was asked previously by yourself and Mark responded on on June 5, so looks like this feature will be present on the Mark drone. Cool! Would really like to see some videos of the drone in operation, including the hand take off/landing.