Intel, moving further beyond PCs, buys German drone company

In an effort to bolster its position in the growing “Internet of Things” market and the exploding unmanned air vehicle market, Intel is acquiring German drone company Ascending Technology. Intel suggests that they are no discussing product roadmaps or financial terms at this time.

Ascending had previously partnered with Intel to use Intel’s RealSense real-time depth sensing technology as part of its “sense and avoid” software, which helps drones detect objects and navigate around them safely.

The company added that it expects Ascending Technologies to support its current customers while also aiding Intel’s Perceptual Computing team in its development of technology which will allow drones to travel with increased awareness of their environments.

Installed in devices like tablets and PCs, RealSense cameras take multi-dimensional images for various applications, including 3D scanning, more lifelike video chat and touch-free interfaces that respond to hand, arm and head motions.

Brian Krzanich, chief executive of Intel, demonstrated the drones previous year at the company’s keynote speech at the 2015 International CES. To celebrate the acquisition, AscTec programmed an LED-equipped drone to write the message “Happy to Join” … followed by the Intel logo.

Qualcomm a year ago said it was getting into the drone business, noting that drones were becoming, essentially, smartphones with wings. That would represent a significant turnaround for the well-known camera company, which has used Ambarella chips in the past.

In August, Intel invested in Chinese drone maker Yuneec, joining other chip makers that have become technology suppliers to the drone industry.