Ascending Technologies and Intel have signed a collaboration agreement to work together on developing collision avoidance technology and algorithms for unmanned aerial systems (UAVs), commonly known as drones, using Intel RealSense cameras and Ascending Technologies’ AscTec Trinity auto pilot system. Intel also became Ascending Technologies’ first external investor and a minority shareholder.
The collaboration of the two companies was publicly announced by Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corporation, during his keynote on January 6th 2015 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Krzanich discussed the growing possibilities for self-aware drones, including inspection of fields and power lines, monitoring endangered species, and even delivering goods or emergency medication. He reinforced that as drones become smart, they can see, react, and even move through the environment. To showcase this, Intel created an obstacle course inside the CES keynote ballroom and demonstrated AscTec Firefly multi-copter drones equipped with Intel RealSense cameras automatically flying through the course. Krzanich and the Ascending Technologies team demonstrated drones interacting in a swarm as well as collision avoidance and a fun interactive game of “drone pong”.
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