Operating Drones Using Smartphones
Samsung Electronics is paving its way to the drone business. As the competition for smart drone development in the global IT industry continues, the Korean tech giant is also making efforts to take the lead in technology development.
According to industry watchers and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Korean tech giant has registered 16 patents with the word “unmanned aerial vehicle” in the title. The number has sharply increased from one in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
This year, Samsung registered various drone design patents, such as UFO and helicopter shapes, on top of various drone operation interfaces and technologies.
The transformable drone design that Samsung Electronics registered this month can change the shape of the body in different ways.
All four propellers on the drone can be removed, and the length of the drone body can be doubled. The wing part can be folded into the body. There is also a camera on the front of the drone, which can be used for video shooting.
This patent also includes interface technology that can operate a drone using IT devices such as smart phones. The interface screen shows the operation status of the drone along with the joystick-shaped screen for operation. It also displays the outside temperature, wind speed, and humidity for the user.
Dronebelow and other global presses reported, "The unmanned aerial vehicle drones that Samsung plans to release will become accessories that can be interlocked with the Samsung Galaxy smartphone."
Industry watchers say Samsung has applied for several design and technology patents related to drone since 2016 in order to take the lead in the drone technology.
In addition to Samsung’s rivals like Apple and Huawei, global IT dinosaurs, such as Google and Amazon, have started a “drone war” to expand their business scope with smart drones that combine artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), and Samsung is likely to join the competition.
Meanwhile, market research firm IDC analyzed that the global drone industry has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.6% and will grow to worth US$29.5 billion (33.34 trillion won) by 2022.