Is it really just forward? What is the angle of vision for those sensors (hopefully over 90 degrees)?

I ask, because the one time I needed it, running into a tree, it was when I was going sideways. I mean, when you're going forward, you see what's in front of you on your FPV device, but not behind or to the sides.

I think I'll wait for 360 degree obstacle avoidence.

Could be a long wait. The only 360 degree systems have been on laboratory development drones, and no-one is proposing them yet. And the one time you really need obstacle avoidance is when you have lost signal and the aircraft is in RTH, and at that point it will be going forward with the OA system in full operation.

Geebax Posted at 2016-3-2 17:29
Could be a long wait. The only 360 degree systems have been on laboratory development drones, and no ...

"And the one time you really need obstacle avoidance is when you have lost signal and the aircraft is in RTH".

I think there a LOT more scenarios were obstacle avoidance is useful and sometimes needful other than signal-loss RTH:

• When you flying any direction other than the direction you see in your FPV device image. We can't always have spotters. (Note: should always have a spotter if flying around people.)
• When you are flying line-of-sight, but at a distance where objects are difficult to determine if they're in front of the P4. For instance, I have poor distance detection in my vision. To me, the craft might look farther from to the object than I detect with my eyes, so this would be a good safety.
  EXAMPLE: craft at 100 meters in front of me, flying from right to left. There's a tree that I perceive to be much closer (or farther) than 100 meters from me, but it is instead the same distance as the craft (100m).
• During a sporting (biking, skiing) follow-me session when there are obstacles to either side of the trail. As you probably know, follow-me doesn't follow the trail -- it follows the signal or the object, even if means "cutting the switchback" (where the obstacles are) to catch up to the object it is tracking.
  

Any others folks?

for 360 degrees obstacle avoidance you can get M100 and Guidance system
Phantom 4 angle of vision is  60°horizontally and 30° vertically

DJI-Tim Posted at 2016-3-3 00:23
for 360 degrees obstacle avoidance you can get M100 and Guidance system
Phantom 4 angle of vision is ...

Thanks Tim.

Ideally, obstacle avoidance should form an invisible safety "bubble" around the drone in all directions. Up, down, left right. This will greatly enhance the safety of the drone. Forward only leaves plenty of blind spots but I will take it for now. All other drones are completely blind...plus, from a business perspective they need room to develop more drones and sell them.