They may not yet be as common as phones or cars, but remote-controlled drones are definitely a force to be reckoned with. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the drone zone has doubled since last year. The big talk this year was the model being launched by GoPro, which needs to move fast to get ahead of arch rival DJI, the top-selling manufacturer. It unveiled updates to two of its models, introducing a thermal imaging camera, with applications that include search and rescue and fire fighting. “It’s a thermal camera that will allow people to do all sorts of great applications: industrial inspection, agriculture, and most importantly to me is the life-saving potential,” explained Brendan Schulman, Vice-President of Policy and Legal Affairs at DJI. “Going out there, flying and finding missing people, even at night: the heat sensors just allow people to light up so if you’re in an avalanche or you’re in a forest, it can take hours or days to find someone who’s missing, but using our XT thermal camera, they can find you within minutes.” Meet Lily . Its makers described it less as a drone, and more as a flying camera. Claimed to […]
