The Market for Drones is now heating up, as smartphone Processor
maker Qualcomm has thrown its hat into the ring.
They've developed Snapdragon Flight, the very first
Snapdragon SoC (system-on-a-chip) built for Drones as reported in the article “Qualcomm
Unveils its First Computer Board for Drones”, published 15.09.2015 by
Maddie Stone, Gizmodo.
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Their Controller Processor board, not much different from an
Adruino, Parralax Stamp or even a Raspberry Pi made specifically for Drones, is
based on the same high performance low power Processors used in smartphones as
pointed out in the article “Qualcomm
Makes A Bid To Lead Drone Revolution With New Chip”, published September
10, 2015 by Aaron Tilley, Forbes.
So aside from the Processor SoC, which gives them a leg-up
against other chipmakers like Intel, how else is the Snapdragon Flight special?
Snapdragon Flight
for Drone design - 4K Video and connectivity options a delight for Drone
Designers
What Qualcomm has done after two (2) years of research that's
different it to optimize an already existing process, the Quad-Core 2.26 GHz
Snapdragon 801 Processor used in Android smartphones and combined with other
elements on a Controller Processor board.
This allows Drone builders and hobbyists to harness the
power of their smartphone Processor to control a Drone without having to gut
and modify a smartphone. The Circuit board also comes with a DSP (Digital
Signal Processor) to air real time processing of servo-control signalling to
control the Drone during flight.
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There is also built in GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) to
allow Drone pilots to determine the location of their Drone at all time on
Google Maps.
But of greatest interest to some Drone and FPV (First Person
Viewing) Drone enthusiasts, the Qualcomm Controller Processor board comes with
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to allow control of the Drone designed with
this Controller Processor board using a smartphone or Tablet.
Throw in support for 4K Video and Qualcomm's Circuit board
steps away from the Adruino, Parallax Stamp and even the Raspberry Pi Controller
Processor board in terms of what it can do, as these other Controller Processor
board cannot stream 4K without the need for additional controller board
support.
Qualcomm
Snapdragon Flight - Why Control Board means custom US$300 Drones coming in 2016
The Snapdragon Flight Controlled Board will be used in the
Chinese Yuneec Drone come 2016.
When 2016 comes around, I'll expect an explosion in the Drone
DIY (Do it Yourself) Market, despite restrictions in both the US of A and
Jamaica as argued in my blog article
entitled “JCAA
Drones Regulations - Why GOJ Double-Standard suggest Commercial Drone Pilot
Licenses are coming”.
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The Qualcomm Snapdragon Controller Processor board will make
it easy for anyone to design and build their own FPV Drone as argued in the
article “New
Qualcomm Tech could lead to the Ultimate Drone”, published 09.11.15, by Tim
Moynihan, Wired.
This as the Qualcomm Snapdragon Controller Processor board fills
that gap between the professional Drone designers such a DJI and Sony and Drones
that are basically made as toys such as those products from Parrot AR and MiniDrones.
It'll give DIY designers as well as manufacturers the ability to also choose
their own component.
They can make their own custom Drones lowering the cost of Drones
below US$300 as argued in the article “New Qualcomm
platform could lead to sub-$300 Drones”, published September 11, 2015 by
Stacey Higginbotham, Fortune.
This is in much the same way that making custom computer is
also possible thanks to the sale of various motherboards and component makers
by various companies, resulting in an overall lowering of the price of desktop
computers.
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