DJI has established itself as the biggest name in drone technology in recent years, but it might be ready to lend its expertise to a very different industry. As reported by Drone DJ, the potentially leaked promotional material seems to imply that the Chinese company is considering providing sensors for autonomous cars. The image was shared on Twitter by veteran DJI Kanzhaji, and corroborates earlier reports by Reuters suggesting that DJI has already begun assembling a team of engineers to work on the autonomous driving technology. While any supposedly leaked marketing material is worth taking with a generous pinch of salt, DJI's years of experience developing imaging technology for its drones make it a prime candidate to enter the world. The image hints at some of the many areas where DJI could bring its expertise to bear in the automotive industry, including developing technology for 360-degree onboard cameras, blind-spot monitoring, and LiDAR (or ``Detection and Range``) scanners. of light ''). . - lasers used to judge depth and distance.
(Image credit: Kanzhaji) In fact, some of DJI's drone products are already using small-scale variations of those same technologies - the obstacle sensors on the DJI Mavic Air 2, for example - so it follows that the company could seek to strengthen its authority in this area of Technology. Another Chinese tech blogger recently referred to the ``DJI Automotive'' brand on his Geekpark forum, which could represent the offspring of the company shifting its efforts toward self-driving cars, also suggesting that we might hear more about the company. . plans at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show in April. For now, of course, this is just speculation, but we've reached out to DJI for comment and will update this article when we hear back.
Made in China
If correct, DJI's decision to enter the autonomous vehicle industry comes at a time when the electric vehicle market in its home country of China is growing rapidly (the Hongguang Mini EV, for example, outperforms Tesla). two for one). While electric vehicles are quite different from their autonomous equivalents, the nation's shift toward embracing new automotive technologies suggests that China could become one of the first countries to crack the code for fully autonomous vehicles. DJI isn't alone in wanting to get into the auto industry, either, despite being a maker of home gadgets. Chinese mobile device maker Xiaomi recently announced its ambitions for electric vehicles, while Huawei is also developing its own automotive arm, also with a focus on autonomous sensors. The point is that the landscape is changing for tech companies capable of juggling multiple industries, especially in China. DJI marks the latest name in a long line of brands that have identified the automotive world as a potentially profitable area of business, and is a company capable of making a real impact given its pre-existing familiarity with drone technology. It should be noted that the aforementioned Reuters report suggests DJI's sources spoke on condition of anonymity, suggesting a reluctance on the part of the company to admit to its bold new vision, at least at this point. However, it doesn't seem likely that it will contain such rumors forever, so we could see an official statement of intent from DJI in the near future. Via Drone DJ