DJI Reveals New Technology To Accelerate Enterprise Drone Adoption at AirWorks 2017
Conference Highlights New Drone Management Software, Additional Tools For Developers, And Advances In Emergency Response And Infrastructure Inspection
November 7, 2017 – DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, showcased new hardware and software advancements that make it easier for businesses across multiple industries to incorporate drones into their daily operations at its AirWorks user conference in Denver today.
During the keynote presentation, DJI demonstrated its new FlightHub drone operations management platform, showcased new Software Development Kit (SDK) improvements to inspire innovation with DJI drones, and introduced two new customizable DJI Wind series drones. DJI also announced a strategic partnership with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District in California to pioneer new ways to save lives and protect property with drones, and a new investment by its SkyFund investment arm to spur drone integration into new industries.
“Every day drones are being used in skies around the world to assist in mission-critical tasks from lifesaving search and rescue operations to mapping and inspection missions across the agriculture, construction, energy, and infrastructure industries,” said Michael Perry, DJI’s Managing Director for North America. “AirWorks brings these industries together to help innovators learn, connect and explore new ways to put drones to work in their respective fields, and to get a first look at the future of DJI’s aerial technology and enterprise solutions”
Perry welcomed hundreds of attendees from the commercial drone ecosystem including hardware, software and service providers from around the world. He was joined on stage by DJI’s Head of Enterprise Partnerships Jan Gasparic and DJI’s VP of North America Research and Development Robert Schlub. Together, they unveiled a series of new initiatives demonstrating DJI’s commitment to the commercial drone industry including:
- DJI FlightHub – A first-of-its-kind web-based service that helps businesses efficiently manage their drone operations in one platform. FlightHub enables the secure management of real-time drone operations, flight data, drone fleets, and pilot teams to meet the needs of the expanding global enterprise drone industry.
- New Tools for Drone Solution Developers – DJI has made its products incomparably versatile with the DJI SDK and its line of Wind series drones built with modifications in mind. With more than 2.7 million activations (up from 1 million in 2016 and 150,000 in 2015), DJI’s SDK has inspired new categories of drone hardware and software developers to innovate and create entirely new uses for enterprise drone technology. New SDK tools announced today include:
- Onboard Vision System Access: Gives developers new ways to tap into the drones’ visual recognition systems, helping them develop unique autonomous drone solutions.
- DJI Wind 4 and DJI Wind 8: Two new drones allow developers to customize them for complex tasks, such as those requiring unique sensor payloads or increased stability in challenging weather conditions. DJI Wind 4 can carry payloads up to nearly 30 pounds (13.5 kg), while DJI Wind 8 is built on an eight-armed octocopter platform for superior control and redundancy.
- Partnership with Menlo Park Fire Protection District – DJI has formalized its ongoing collaboration with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District in California by designating the agency as a Solution Development Partner. Menlo Park FPD will test customized solutions developed by DJI to help expand the use of drones as essential tools for emergency preparedness, response and post-incident missions.
- SkyFund’s Investment in AutoModality – DJI and venture capital firm Accel, partnering through their SkyFund joint investment fund, have invested in New York-based AutoModality to accelerate its development of an autonomous drone bridge inspection System. The new system enables fully autonomous close-up infrastructure inspection and assists workers by accessing the difficult and dangerous locations on the structure while they remain safely on the ground.
“The exciting new offerings announced today demonstrate DJI’s continued leadership and commitment to the commercial drone industry.” Gasparic said. “These important additions will encourage innovation and drive growth of the drone ecosystem to help companies, developers and customers flourish by adopting drone technology as a core component of their business.”
AirWorks is an annual event that brings DJI users together to inspire, connect and energize attendees about the beneficial drone applications available to enterprises today as well as the future of the global commercial drone industry. It draws attendees from a diverse set of backgrounds who are using drones every day within the agriculture, construction, energy, infrastructure and public safety industries for three days of presentations, hands-on workshops, training sessions and networking opportunities. In addition to industry-specific sessions, attendees will hear from prominent leaders in the drone industry during lively panel discussions dedicated to current and future industry trends and drone regulations. The complete AirWorks agenda and more information about the conference can be found at enterprise.dji.com/airworks.
More information on today’s announcements can be found at dji.com/newsroom.
