Yes. The DJI Air 3S has omnidirectional obstacle sensing: vision sensors that see forward, backward, left, right, up and down, plus a forward-facing LiDAR that helps it detect obstacles at night. It works in Normal and Cine mode when Obstacle Avoidance Action is set to Bypass or Brake. It's off in Sport mode, and it can still miss thin branches, wires and glass.
What the sensors cover
| Direction | Measurement range |
|---|---|
| Forward | 0.5 to 18 m (detection up to 200 m) |
| Backward | 0.5 to 18 m |
| Left and right | 0.5 to 30 m |
| Upward | 0.5 to 18 m |
| Downward | 0.3 to 14 m |
| Forward LiDAR | 0.5 to 25 m at night |
There's also a downward 3D infrared sensor (0.3 to 8 m) and an auxiliary light under the drone that turns on automatically in low light below about 5 m.
Bypass, Brake or Off
Set this in DJI Fly under Settings > Safety > Obstacle Avoidance Action.
- Bypass: turns on APAS. The drone keeps following your sticks and plans a path around obstacles. Choose Normal or Nifty. Nifty flies faster and closer to obstacles for better footage, but DJI warns the crash risk goes up, and Nifty doesn't work normally with the propeller guard fitted.
- Brake: the drone stops and hovers in front of an obstacle. Best for beginners and tight spaces.
- Off: no avoidance. Only for experienced pilots in open sky.
Press Flight Pause at any time and the drone brakes and hovers.
What the LiDAR adds
The Air 3S is DJI's first Air drone with forward LiDAR. It lets the drone sense obstacles ahead at night, when the vision cameras stop working, and supports Smart RTH in the dark. If vision sensing fails during a night return, the LiDAR can spot obstacles ahead and climb over them. Keep it clean: dirt on the LiDAR window can cause false detections. It can't see glass or very dark objects (under 10% reflectivity).
When obstacle avoidance doesn't work
- Sport mode. Sensing is off. DJI says to allow at least 30 m to brake in calm air.
- Night (vision only). The vision cameras don't work in the dark. Only the forward LiDAR helps, and only forward.
- Thin and tricky obstacles. Bare branches, power lines, cranes, towers and suspension bridges.
- Poor surfaces. Water, glass, mirrors, plain single-color walls, repeating tile patterns, moving objects.
- Bad light. DJI lists below 1 lux or above 40,000 lux as problem conditions.
- Rain, fog, or visibility under 100 m. Don't fly.
- Dirty sensors. Wipe the glass with a soft dry cloth, no alcohol.
Does it avoid obstacles in QuickShots and ActiveTrack?
Yes, when light and surfaces allow. In QuickShots and MasterShots the drone brakes and hovers if it detects an obstacle. ActiveTrack steers around obstacles while following. It still can't avoid moving people, animals or vehicles.
Treat it as a backup
Sensing is a safety net, not autopilot. Fly in Normal mode near trees, keep a safe RTH altitude, and keep the drone in sight. If sensing reports errors, read Air 3 obstacle avoidance not working; the fixes are the same for the Air 3S. For night flying, see Air 3S night mode.
The Air 3S has the most complete sensing in its class. Compare it with the Air 3, or shop the DJI Air 3S.
Related guides
- Does the DJI Air 3 have obstacle avoidance?
- Does the DJI Air 3S have Remote ID? Serial number and FAA registration
- Does the DJI Avata 2 have obstacle avoidance?
- Best DJI Air 3S accessories worth buying
- Best SD card for the DJI Air 3S (and internal storage)
- Buying the DJI Air 3S drone only: what else you need
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