Titan or Navatics MITO – which underwater drone is better?

The other day I came across two interesting drones for underwater photography – Titan and Navatics MITO. At first glance, both have similar prices and features. But in order to highlight the best aspects of each of them, you need to compare them.

Titan or Navatics MITO - which underwater drone is better?

Drone Titan developed by a Californian company Geneinno. According to the developers, many prototypes have already been made to date, which have been tested many times in fresh water in lakes and in salt water in the open ocean. Now you can join the lucky ones – the first owners of this robot.

Titan is the second drone to be released by Geneinno. The first drone was called Poseidon and was released in 2016. The company says that the Titan drone takes into account the experience gained during the operation of the first drone.

Drone Navatics MITO company represents Navatics Technology, founded by graduates of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. MITO is also the second experience of developers. The first underwater drone was created by them as part of a student project. The drone is also designed for fresh and salt water.

Capturing movies, photos and streaming video

As for the maximum video and photo performance that both drones can take, they are the same: both shoot 4K video 3840×2160 at 30 fps, both take photos with a resolution of 8 megapixels. Both also stream 1920×1080 video at 30 fps.

But the characteristics of their cameras differ. The Titan has a larger field of view (Titan has 160°, MITO has 120°), which means more objects from the same distance will fall into the Titan’s lens, although there will be more distortion at the edges. But MITO has a larger physical matrix size: MITO has 1 / 1.7 “(9.5 mm), while Titan has 1 / 2.3” (7.7 mm). But the larger the matrix, the less noise in the dark.

To store videos and photos on board Titan you will have 32 GB, and on MITO – 64 GB. Here MITO looks more interesting.

Drone lighting is also different. Titan is equipped with two flashlights, each with 1500 lumens (3000 lumens in total) 7000K, and MITO with two flashlights with 1000 lumens (2000 lumens in total) 5000K. So Titan will illuminate underwater objects brighter and produce a cooler light.

Titan and MITO also have a different approach to image color correction. The Titan comes with red and magenta glass filters (magenta is only in one package), which you must put on the lens in advance, and in MITO the colors are corrected by software.

Titan drone filters

As for the stabilization system, both drones have it. So the video should be shot without jerks and vibrations.

Control

Both drones are controlled using joysticks, in the center of which is fixed a smartphone or a small tablet, which is needed to display streaming video and the current status of the drone. The app works on Android and iOS.

The Titan joystick looks impressive. There are a lot of buttons here, which most likely means that the drone can be fully controlled through it. The connection to a smartphone/tablet is via Bluetooth.

Titan drone control

In addition, you can control the Titan drone without a special joystick, i.e. directly from your smartphone or tablet.

Controlling the Titan drone from a smartphone

And how does the Titan receive a signal from the joystick? Yes, it’s very simple: next to you lies a transmitter that receives a signal from a joystick or smartphone and transmits it to the drone via a wire. It is impossible to wet the transmitter, so it should always be in the air next to you. Those. it turns out that the drone can move away from you at a maximum length equal to the length of the wire, and the drone is equipped with a wire 50 or 150 meters long, depending on the cost of the kit.

Transmission of a signal from the remote control to the drone Titan

The MITO drone can only be controlled with the joystick. But here the transmitter, also known as a buoy, can swim and is not afraid of water. Those. while your drone is swimming underwater, the transmitter buoy follows it. Moreover, the buoy can move away from the joystick up to 500 meters, and this, you see, is already an impressive distance. The length of the wire from the buoy to the drone is 50 meters.

Signal transmission from the remote control to the MITO drone

Characteristics

Let’s compare the characteristics of Titan and Navatics MITO drones and start from battery life. Titan has enough battery charge for 4 hours of normal work. Joystick battery life is not specified.

The MITO drone has a battery life of 4 hours of normal use or 2 hours of heavy use (at high speed), while its joystick battery lasts for 2 hours. Therefore, we can say that MITO works for a maximum of 2 hours, and then the remote control just sits on it.

The battery charging time for both drones and the MITO remote control is 2 hours. For the MITO drone, you can order additional batteries that change very quickly. But again, do not forget that after 2 hours the remote control will sit down, therefore, what to do with the additional battery is again not very clear.

And now let’s see who is faster and stronger. Titan immersion depth – up to 150 meters, speed – up to 2 m / s, water temperature – from -10 to 50 ° C. At MITO, these indicators are more modest: the immersion depth is up to 40 meters, the speed is also up to 2 m / s, the water temperature is from -5 to 50 ° C. The wire for both can withstand a load of 100 kg.

To size MITO is smaller than Titan: 360x300x135mm vs 390x347x165mm. Yes, and the weight of MITO is less – 3 kg (including battery), against 4.4 kg for Titan. It turns out that MITO is better suited for transportation, although it all depends on the packaging. The Titan comes with a suitcase on wheels, while the MITO comes with a backpack for a fee.

Titan drone trolley case

Drone tokens

Here are a few features that the Titan developers emphasize that the MITO drone does not have:

  1. Dive up to 150 meters;
  2. Bright lights (3000 lumens);
  3. Physical glass filters;
  4. 6 screws;
  5. Cruise card;
  6. Ability to connect virtual reality glasses;
  7. Port for connecting additional equipment, such as sonar, robotic arm, microphone, etc. (date of release of additional equipment is not specified);
  8. All-weather suitcase on wheels for transportation;
  9. Drone Design Red Dot Design Award.

The MITO drone has fewer chips, but they are:

  1. Radio beacon, which can be removed from the remote control by 500 meters;
  2. The drone is small and light;
  3. Color correction in the application;
  4. The ability to tilt up or down up to 45° and hold this angle when moving or stationary.

Price

Both drones are just entering the market, but you can already pre-order them. The Titan drone is sold in sets. A kit with 50 meters of wire can be purchased for $1,199, and a kit with 150 meters of wire is available for $1,599. Both kits include the drone itself, wire, remote control, transmitter, charger, transport case, weight modules, 1 or 2 light filters and instructions. You will be able to receive the ordered kit in the fall.

The MITO drone is also sold in kits. The kit costs $1299. It includes the drone, battery, remote controller, transmitter buoy and charger. Ordered kits will also be delivered in the fall. Additionally, you can order another battery for $150 and a backpack for $80.

Summarizing

So, to sum up, what is the best drone? Of course, in terms of the number of chips, the Titan drone looks better. However, the choice must be made according to your needs. For example, if depth is important, then Titan wins here, which can dive to a depth of 150 meters, and if you are interested in moving away from you, then MITO wins here, which can move up to 500 meters. Otherwise, it is difficult to compare these drones, because. their characteristics are close. But you can always study them yourself. Here are the drone pages: Titan and MITO.

Leave a Reply