The Rinspeed Σtos is a self-driving Swiss concept car with its own drone designed for selfie-ing and flower delivery for loved ones. Clearly, it’s fanciful, silly and not based in reality, as it’ll likely never be built. Turns out, though, Ford and drone-maker DJI have had a similar idea. But theirs is very real indeed.
Tuesday morning at 2016 International CES, Ford and DJI announced they’ve partnered to create vehicle-to-drone technology for the United Nations.
he Ford drones will be used to aid U.N. first responders. With a fleet of Ford F-150 pickup trucks and paired drones, first responders will be able to deploy the drones and survey and map hardest-hit areas — without getting out of the truck.
Specifically, an F-150 would travel as far as it can into the natural disaster-stricken zone. From there, the driver can launch the drone and control it from the cab of the truck. From the Ford’s in-dash Ford SYNC 3 touchscreen, the driver will be able to set and monitor the drone’s flight path, as the drone and the Ford will communicate in real time.
Once out on the flight, the DJI drone will capture video and stream it back inside the F-150. This could help the U.N. first responder to identify survivors and create a map to each.
“Using the driver’s smartphone, the F-150 would establish a real-time link between the drone, the truck and the cloud, so vehicle data can be shared,” the Ford press release explains. “Data will be relayed to the drone so the driver can continue to a new destination, and the drone will catch up and dock with the truck.”
This software could be used for non-humanitarian missions as well. Ford imagines the tech being used in agriculture, forestry, construction and bridge inspection as well as domestic or local search and rescue.
While all that sounds great, we hope Ford will some day send the tech down into the consumer market, too. Why should Rinspeed drivers get to be the only ones who have a drone deliver flowers to their loved ones? – Mashable
