has made yet another hardware acquisition to build up its business of integrating its processors and RealSense imaging technology into the next wave of connected devices beyond PCs. The company announced it has purchased Ascending Technologies, a Germany-based startup that makes small drones and the software used to fly them.
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed but Intel described it to me as a “small company”. All 75 employees will be getting offers to join Intel, she added.
At a time when there is increasing regulatory and public scrutiny over drone safety and how they will be used, Ascend has touted its own software for its accuracy of movement, using LED-based “light painting” and long-exposure photography to show just how this works.
Intel Capital had invested in Ascending Technologies and it partnered with the startup last year, integrating its RealSense image and depth-recognition technology with Ascend’s own “sense-and-avoid” algorithms that are used in its own devices and also sold to other drone makers. It actually demonstrated the integration at last year’s CES event. Tomorrow CEO Brian Krzanich is delivering a keynote once more and may well be talking drones once again.
A spokesperson says that Intel will not be discussing and future product roadmap at this time. However, a blog post from Josh Walden, Intel’s SVP for new technologies, noted that Intel will continue to support existing customers.
“We plan for the Ascending Technologies team to continue supporting their current customers while also collaborating with Intel’s Perceptual Computing team to develop UAV technology that can help drones fly with more awareness of their environments.” Ascend says that there are “well over 1,000 of our unique aircraft solutions are in frequent operation worldwide.”
This is Intel’s 71st acquisition.
Ascending Technologies: “happy to join … Intel”
To express its sheer excitement Ascending Technologies produced another brief drone light painting episode. The AscTec Falcon 8 draws “happy to join” and the “Intel” logo. The patented V-form drone mounted with a LED was controlled by the flight planning software AscTec Navigator to perform the painting fully automated. The light painting is done by setting a camera to leave its shutter open for a long exposure, while the LED drone is flying its preprogrammed missions. The bright light leaves glowing trails, which form depictions according to the flown drone flight paths. Ascending Technologies had used that technique just before holidays to produce world’s first drone-driven light paintings of any real quality.
About Ascending Technologies
Ascending Technologies is a developer and manufacturer of autopilot systems, unmanned aircraft systems and multi-rotor technology for professional, civil and research UAS applications. For this purpose Ascending Technologies achieves pioneer work in sensor data processing and flight attitude control ever since. Due to unique in-house development capabilities, the company from Krailling, near Munich, Germany sets new UAS market trends based upon key technologies. Ascending Technologies’ unmanned aircraft systems serve providers and groups as a professional sensing flight platform. The UAVs are highly efficient high-tech instruments for the production of high-resolution aerial imagery, stills and videos, thermals, multispectrals and geo data as well as research and development. Well over 1,000 of advanced drones from Ascending Technologies are in frequent professional and research operation worldwide.
Sources: Tech Crunch; website