Qualcomm is now planning to launch a development platform for drones called Snapdragon Flight, making them the default central nervous system for the next generation of drones.
The American global semiconductor company is behind the present Snapdragon system on a chip (SoC) found in most of the high-end mobile device, Forbes reported. The company wants to extends its roles from smartphones to drones.
The Snapdragon Flight includes a board based on the Snapdragon 801 SoC with a quad-core 2.26GHz processor, which is also present in Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, and Sony Xperia Z3. Among its other features are computer vision, dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, support for real-time flight control systems, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, 4K video processing, and support for fast charging onto a little board which is the same size of a business card.
Qualcomm said that their first client to use its Snapdragon Flight will be Chinese drone maker Yuneec. It will be used in on UAV slated to launch in 2016. Qualcomm’s SVP of product management Raj Talluri said that they are in talks as well with other original equipment manufacturer for their new product.
Snapdragon Flight’s origin came from the need of drone manufacturers to use it in building cheaper, lighter, smaller, and more energy-efficient UAVs with advanced capabilities, according to Wired. It also features video and navigation tools on board and the company stated that the board’s processing mettle is strong enough to support automated obstacle-avoidance features.
Qualcomm has also announced in 2014 its automotive-grade Snapdragon chip called the 602A, which is designed for car infotainment systems.