yuneec and intel create the psychic typhoon H drone

yuneec + intel’s typhoon H drone learns its environment in 3D for safe navigation

yuneec releases the ‘typhoon H’, a drone that pushes the limits of technology with a host of innovative features, including a factory installed intel ‘realsense R200’ camera and intel ‘atom’ processor; an ‘ST16’ controller with a ‘wizard’ controller for dual operator mode; two batteries; extra propellers; all packed in a custom designed backpack. intel’s ‘realsense’ technology enables typhoon H to fly autonomously, intelligently navigating around objects, taking safety and customers’ creative options to the next level.

a demonstration of the range of controls
video courtesy of yuneec

spotted at farnborough international airshow 2016, the yuneec ‘typhoon H’ has been developed with the creative consumer in mind, featuring a user-friendly design, including disconnect props that allow speedy removal from the motors, and rotor arms that quickly fold down for easy transportation. carbon fiber is used extensively to decrease weight while increasing durability. the drone comes with a counterpart, a professional quality android-based ‘ST16′ controller, which has a large 7-inch integrated display and HD 720p video downlink for real-time video reception; a huge improvement on having to connect a tablet or smartphone to a separate controller.

its counterpart is a sophisticated ‘ST16’ controller with 720p display

the intelligent, unmanned aircraft is equipped with six rotors and a 360-degree gimbal, which allows unlimited panning for sharp 4K videos and 12 megapixel stills with the all-new ‘CGO3+’ camera. in addition, the landing gear retracts during flight to seamlessly remove itself from the shot for unobstructed views. innovative new safety features include ultrasonic proximity detection to assist in avoiding large obstacles, which is operational when ‘realsense’ is inactive, and a six-rotor safety failsafe system, which allows ‘typhoon H’ to remain stable and land if a motor should fail.

rotor arms quickly fold down for easy transportation

as installed on the drone, the ‘realsense R200’ camera and the quad core intel ‘atom’ processor module work seamlessly with the flight control firmware to add intelligent obstacle navigation. with a combination of specialized cameras and sensors, this system maps and learns its environment in 3D, recognizing each obstacle, planning an alternative route and safely navigating around it. this is a major advancement over ultra-sonic collision prevention, which automatically stops the flight path short of obstacles, but cannot model the environment or intelligently reroute around obstacles. the module also adds downward facing sensors to improve stability, enabling flight indoors or outdoors close to the ground, even with poor GPS reception.

the drone detects obstacles and can navigate its way around them

‘at intel, we’re always looking to open up creative possibilities through technology,’ said anil nanduri, intel’s vice president. ‘by equipping the yuneec ‘Typhoon H’ with intel ‘RealSense’ technology, drone pilots can worry less about obstacles that may impede those creative possibilities, and focus more on their flight path and camera work.’

intel’s ‘realsense’ technology enables ‘typhoon H’ to fly autonomously