Antigravity unveils A1, a 249-gram folding drone built around 8K 360-degree capture
Antigravity has introduced the A1, a lightweight folding drone designed to shoot immersive 8K 360-degree video through a dual-lens camera system. The product marks the debut aircraft from a new drone venture incubated by Insta360, and it is aimed at users who want a more enveloping flying experience rather than a conventional aerial camera platform.
The A1 pairs with a wireless hand controller and a headset called Vision, which gives pilots a live first-person view. Antigravity said its FreeMotion system combines head tracking with gesture-based control, allowing users to look in any direction while flying. The pistol-grip controller includes multiple buttons, switches and a control wheel, with three flight modes labeled C, N and S. The company has not defined them publicly, but they appear to map to cinematic, normal and sport-style operation.
The core of the system is its two-lens 360-degree camera layout, with one fisheye lens mounted on top of the fuselage and another underneath. Antigravity said the setup captures a complete all-around image without blind spots. It also said image stitching removes the drone itself from both the immersive live view and the recorded 8K footage. That approach is intended to let users reframe scenes after the flight, export multiple viewing angles from a single clip and apply edits such as dynamic virtual camera moves, Tiny Planet effects and horizon flips without sacrificing image quality.
The drone weighs 249 grams, placing it in the ultralight class in many markets. Antigravity said the A1 will include a return-to-home function and a payload detection system intended to prevent unauthorized modifications. Key specifications remain undisclosed, including battery life, range, speed, pricing and the purpose of two additional front-facing lenses visible on the aircraft. The company said full specifications will be released ahead of launch and that the A1 is expected to reach the market no later than January next year.
Antigravity is also opening a consultation program for creators and industry specialists as it completes final testing. Selected participants will receive a pre-production A1, and the company will award the strongest ideas from the program with a share of a $20,000 prize pool. If the final product delivers on image stitching, low weight and intuitive controls, the A1 could pressure the compact drone market by shifting the pitch from aerial filming alone to a more immersive, headset-driven form of personal flight capture.