Intel Corporation has invested more than USD60 million into a Shanghai-based drone and aerospace firm Yuneec International, as other technology firms are exploring the actual commercial uses of drones.
The investment was announced by Intel Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich in a video. He said Intel wants to bring the smart and connected world to everyone and everywhere and one of the best ways for the company to achieve that has been drones.
“We’ve got drones on our road map that are going to truly change the world and revolutionize the drone industry,” Krzanich said in the video.
With the investment, Intel and Yuneec will now collaborate on developing products in the future but the California-based semiconductor company did not provide further details about its partnership with Yuneec.
It was not the first time for Intel to invest in companies that manufacture or develop drones as it also invested in drone makers PrecisionHawk and Airware.
Yuneec, founded in 1999, manufactures drones for both industrial and commercial users. It also makes manned aircraft powered by electricity.
The Chinese firm has offices in Asia, Europe and North America. On its website, it claims manufacturing over 1 million units annually. These units are sold under OEM/ODM brands.
Yuneec recently unveiled the Typhoon Q500 4K drone, its newest addition to the company’s personal use Typhoon Drones.
In a statement announcing the Typhoon Q500 4K drone, Yuneec said the unit has the capacity to fly for up to 30 minutes and can immediately be used out of the box.
According to Yuneec, users will only have to twist the drone’s propellers and attach the battery to turn it on and be ready for flight.
“Also useful about the Typhoon Q500 4K is that the camera can be detached from the drone itself and put on the Steady Grip handheld unit, letting users record video on the ground with the same smoothness as in the air,” the company said. – BusinessNewsAsia.com