Antigravity unveils 'world first' 360-degree camera drone

Insta360 announced new drone brand Antigravity last month, teasing that its debut product would be the "world's first" consumer aerial drone with inbuilt 360-degree video capture. Now Antigravity has unveiled said drone: the Antigravity A1.

As revealed in July, the Antigravity A1 will record 360-degree video in 8K resolution, weigh 249g, and be capable of detecting payloads to prevent it from being used for purposes other than filming. Today Antigravity shared further details, as well as the first images of the A1.

As hinted by its light weight, Antigravity states that the A1 will be a compact drone, with released imagery demonstrating that its rotor arms will neatly fold up for storage or travel. Antigravity also confirmed that the A1's dual-lens camera system mirrors the one found in Insta360's X series of 360 cameras. The A1's two lenses will be mounted on the top and bottom of the drone's fuselage, with the footage then stitched together so that the drone does not appear in the resultant 360 footage.

Interestingly, Antigravity further revealed that the A1 is completely eschewing stick controls, taking a fresh approach to its piloting system. Drones are commonly piloted using stick controls, with users flying them with two thumb joysticks on a remote control. 

Instead, the Antigravity A1's controls appear similar to those used by virtual reality headsets. The A1 will be piloted using Antigravity's handheld Grip controller, its stick-like form factor with back trigger bearing a strong similarity to VR controllers such as the Meta Quest Touch Pro. This will be paired with Antigravity's Vision goggles, which users will wear while flying the A1. 

Antigravity states that head tracking technology will enable users to look around in any direction, while flight will be controlled by hand gestures. They'll therefore be able to look in one direction while flying in another, rather than having to pivot to see what's around them. The company has emphasised that it is designing its drones to be intuitive to operate, so that they can be used by everyone from beginners to experts. 

The Antigravity A1 is scheduled for release in January 2026, so it'll still be a few months before most people can get their hands on it. However, Antigravity will be sending out several pre-production models for select users to test, with their feedback to be incorporated into the final version of the drone. Contributors will also be in with a chance for a share of Antigravity's $20,000 reward pool, in case getting to try out the A1 early wasn't incentive enough. Applications are open on the company's website now.