You probably just saw the status LED light of Model X drone fading in and out on our homepage. The particular choice of color did not take place out of the blue. Mixing the color of an LED, light-emitting diode, is both an art and a science. An LED is illuminated by moving electrons, in a specific composition of semiconductor materials which determines the range of wavelength, and thus the color of light. Physicists have spent the last few decades to figure out successful ingredients and recipes of the primary colors. However, it still takes a lot of hard work to invent a new one. The process is not only about creating something visually pleasing, but also developing a solution to photometric performance and energy efficiency.
WE CONSIDERED EVEN THE LED COLOR.
What we’ve achieved is what we’d like to think the most beautiful color ever come to a consumer drone. Similar shades were once found in the backlight of Nokia 8250, a classic cell phone, and the circuitry of Tron, a human-formed program from the first CGI movie of the same name. It was also the color in which the late David Bowie waited for the gift of Sound and Vision. We are proud to be inspired, and we did put thought and effort into the every single aspect of Model X drone.
At XDynamics, the components are never simply individual parts. The big picture is made up of thousands of smaller ones. Among them, status LED lights are probably the most underrated and overlooked unit, by both the users and the industry. While, obviously, the purpose of these lights is to indicate the current status of a drone, they very often represent the accent color as well. It is such an essential part of the design of the drone that we felt the need to communicate more than just status signals. It deserves a much more sophisticated treatment than the cheapest, easiest available colors which you find in most products.
YOU DESERVE THE BEST, BIG & SMALL.
Let’s put it this way: we wanted to bring back the futuristic and premium look and feel of high-quality consumer electronics, to which Model X indeed belongs, and we did. We also made sure that the status lights are vibrant enough to be seen from a reasonably far distance, while being nicely gentle on the battery. The set of status LED lights has been out of the lab, put on the prototype, and thoroughly tested in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Displayed exclusively to a selected group of partners during CES 2016, too.
The rest of Model X, which we regrettably can’t reveal here to you just yet, is equally exceptional, and has received a tremendous amount of buzz at CES.
Stay tuned for more updates. We have a lot to talk about the experience in CES!
