Intel has big plans to become a major player in the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) market, with a special interest in developing aerial technology for the construction industry. Last month, the company unveiled its first drone, called the Falcon 8+.
The Falcon 8+ is specifically engineered for use on large construction sites. The drone can quickly and efficiently survey large sites and is designed to significantly reduce the number of hours required to conduct field inspections.
Earlier this month, Intel also announced the acquisition of MAVinci, a commercial drone software firm based in Germany. The value of this deal hasn’t been disclosed yet, but it illustrates Intel’s interest in becoming a leader in the UAV technology realm.
The algorithm for flight planning developed by MAVinci will allow Intel to enhance the surveying capabilities of its current drone technology. Additionally, MAVinci will provide Intel with insights into drone design for larger, fixed-wing models.
In related news, the head of Intel’s drone division department, Anil Nanduri, announced in a blog post that the tech company recently set a new world record in an experiment that involved having the greatest number of UAVs in the sky in one area to date. The company launched 500 drones in the sky at the same time, all of which were operated by a single pilot.
Impressively, the drones did not encounter any problems, and the experiment did not result in any collisions. The success of this experiment bodes well for future applications of Intel’s drone technology and the efficiency of the technology overall.
Drones are slated to dramatically change the way contractors conduct field inspections in the coming years. It will be exciting to see the innovations from major players like Intel. This is just the beginning, and forward-thinking construction companies have a lot to look forward to!
Andrew Norman is co-founder and president of Eiffel Trading, which is a centralized marketplace for contractors in the heavy civil, marine and oilfield industries. For more information, visit Eiffel Trading.
