Intel has unveiled its first commercial drone dubbed as Falcon 8+. It is especially designed for industrial inspection surveying and mapping.
The drone comes equipped with Intel Falcon 8+ UAV, Intel Cockpit for ground control as well as the Intel Powerpack to power the UAV. It is also powered with the triple-redundant AscTec Trinity autopilot. The Intel Falcon 8+ system shares similar features with its predecessor, the AscTec Falcon 8. It is controlled with a water-resistant cockpit outfitted with a joystick and tablet, and can fly for up to 26 minutes at a time on a redundant power pack.
The system provides detailed images and gives valuable structural analysis that helps users detect and prevent further damage to infrastructure. The V-form octocopter, with full electronic system redundancy covering batteries, communications and sensing, is outfitted for industrial inspection, surveying and mapping for professionals and experts, according to Intel.
The UAV is arrange in a V-form measuring 768 x 817 x 160 mm with a take off weight of 2.8 kg (6 pounds) when loaded with a camera. At the center of the Cockpit is an Intel chipset-powered tablet for planning and conducting complex flight patterns as well as monitoring the live video feed via a low latency digital link up to 1080p resolution with a 1 km range. Flight control can also be managed with a single hand joystick.
Drones are an important computing platform for the future, and Intel is positioning itself at the forefront of this opportunity to provide the compute, sensor, communications and cloud integration for the growing drone ecosystem.
Intel says the Falcon 8+ drone has not been approved by the Federal Communications for sale or use in United States. There is no word on the pricing or launch. Last month, Intel acquired Movidius computer vision chipmaker.