The visionaries at Ford see potentially life-saving applications for drones, which may soon be using the back of moving F-150 trucks for takeoffs and landings.
#F150 and drones could be a huge step forward for first responders. See how. https://t.co/uyEukMpvOx
— Ford Trucks (@FordTrucks) December 19, 2016
Sure, drones have provided us with stunning aerial photographs and are poised to begin delivering online purchases soon. But Ford sees purposes far beyond those, ones that may be invaluable for first responders. To that end, Ford is supporting a Developer Challenge by drone manufacturer DJI, aimed at creating a system that would be used in emergency zones and includes such functions as finding survivors and autonomous takeoffs and landings. “The idea is that the drone can be used to scout out a disaster area and help first responders and rescuers understand the lay of the land,” noted Patrick Ellis, a connected vehicle systems technical expert at the Ford Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto, California.
Developers will initially use SYNC AppLink to control drone launches and recovery through the SYNC3 touch screen. While the disaster zone scenario is an extremely specific application at this time, the potential of vehicle-to-drone communication could allow police officers to make sure a potential crime scene is safe before entering, or provide crews with a new method for surveying a construction site.
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