Antigravity cuts A1 drone entry price to $799 with wristwatch controls

Antigravity has introduced a “Follow Me” kit for its A1 drone, bringing the US entry price to $799. The kit replaces the original FPV goggles and motion controller with a wristwatch and ring. The Verge’s Sean Hollister reports that the complete set previously cost upwards of $1,599.

The company presents the kit as a way to have the A1 automatically follow and film a person with less equipment. The watch has a touchscreen preview, quick-shot options and controls for adjusting the drone’s direction and altitude. The ring adds a button for launching and repositioning the drone one-handed.

In his tests, Hollister found the A1 did not avoid every obstacle or consistently follow him. After three crashes, the drone remained operational, and the watch played back footage from the seconds before a crash. He also reported sluggish touchscreen response, a manual-mode requirement for hand landing, and a need to start tracking through the watch screen. The drone stopped following him after it judged it was flying too high, and it could drift toward a street or a neighbor’s fence.

The kit includes full-coverage propeller guards. Existing A1 owners can buy the watch and ring for $340 and the guards for $40; a 20 percent discount is available to owners who can prove they already have the aircraft. The Verge article compares the A1 with Skydio 2, which Hollister says also crashed in his tests and did not always stay on course.