Yesterday, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) announced the Intel Shooting Star drone, the company’s first drone designed for entertainment light shows. Intel’s drone is already making headlines by setting a new Guinness World Record.
Last month, Intel unveiled the Intel Falcon 8+ System at the 2016 INTERGEO drone conference in Hamburg, Germany. The Falcon 8+ is the company’s first commercial multirotor drone for the United States market.
Intel put a fleet of Shooting Star drones to the test in the German city. 500 Intel Shooting Stars lighted up the sky as the company achieved the Guinness World Record title of having The Most UAVs Airborne Simultaneously. It beat a previous record of 100 set by Intel in 2015.
Earlier this week, Intel also disclosed the acquisition of Germany-based drone specialists MAVinci GmbH to expand its capabilities in the growing drone industry. The tech multinational believe drones are an important computing platform for the future.
MAVinci GmbH is Intel’s latest progress in the drone space
MAVinci’s top-of-the-line flight planning software will enable Intel to equip its drones with the best computing, sensor, communications and software integration available on the market. MAVinci will complement its previously acquired technology portfolio as well.
At the beginning of the year, Intel bought German drone maker Ascending Technologies. Intel claims both acquisitions are set to provide solutions for industries such as agriculture, insurance, construction, and mining.
In August, Intel also introduced the Intel Aero Platform and the Intel Aero Ready to Fly Drone. The developer-focused drone was the follow-up to Intel’s collaboration with Chinese aircraft manufacturer Yuneec International.
Together, they launched the Yuneec International Typhoon H with Intel RealSense Technology in April. RealSense provides collision avoidance features.
Intel drones are pending authorization by the Federal Communications Commission
Specifically created for light shows, the Intel Shooting Star combines lightweight structure with virtually limitless color combinations. The company expects to use a fleet of Shooting Star drones publicly soon.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will give Intel a Part 107 Waiver to fly them at night in the US. Intel claims the drones will create choreographed images in the nighttime sky.
All Intel’s drones are currently awaiting the green light of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to start sales. However, most of them are already available in the European market.
Source: Intel
