Thermal Camera (Photo : TJI)
Chinese firm DJI and Oregon company FLIR System have partnered to manufacture ready-to-fly drones capable of taking images in the dark.
DJI, which has a 70 percent market share, would use FLIR's thermal camera. The drones they would make could be used in search-and-rescue missions, firefighting, security and surveillance, reports USA Today.
The two companies, in a news conference on Thursday, displayed a demonstration of Zenmuse XT which allows the user to control the drone's camera even in the dark, shoot infrared video or still images and transmit the live images wirelessly even if there is no light or there is smoke, haze or brush.
It is the first product of its kind in the market which surprised Colin Snow, a drone analyst in San Francisco, who describes the gadget as a "low-hanging fruit." Thermal cameras are being sold by TJI and other companies, but this is the first time the thermal shooter is being paired with the drone.
Besides firefighters who could use the thermal camera-equipped drone to fly over a raze, Snow adds that companies could use it to check leaks or pressure build ups in their pipes and other facilities.
Jeff Frank, FLIR senior vice president of strategy, points out that "Through the drone, I can see things the human eye doesn't see. It's like a sixth sense."
FLIR uses the Tau 2 thermal imaging technology for the camera, while DJI uses the stabilized micro-gimbal technology, a common platform for aerial cinematography, for its drones.
But USA Today notes that while the potential market could be worth billions of dollars when it matures, the current market is still relatively small. Zenmuse XT would be available in early 2016, however, the tag price is still unknown, reports PCWorld.
