Intel to buy Movidius, a specialist maker of chips used in drones, robots and AR headsets
Computer giant Intel has announced that it is set to acquire Movidius, a start-up which makes computer vision processors that are used in some of the new technologies that could revolutionise the post & parcel world: drones, robots and augmented reality (AR) devices. In a statement posted on Intel’s website last night (5 September), Josh Walden is senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s New Technology Group, commented: “We see massive potential for Movidius to accelerate our initiatives in new and emerging technologies. The ability to track, navigate, map and recognize both scenes and objects using Movidius’ low-power and high-performance SoCs opens opportunities in areas where heat, battery life and form factors are key.
“Specifically, we will look to deploy the technology across our efforts in augmented, virtual and merged reality (AR/VR/MR), drones, robotics, digital security cameras and beyond. Movidius’ market-leading family of computer vision SoCs complements Intel’s RealSense offerings in addition to our broader IP and product roadmap.”
As previously reported, Intel displayed its Internet of Things, drone and autonomous vehicle credentials at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) which took place in San Francisco last month.
Meanwhile, Intel announced last week that it has received a waiver from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the new drone regulations. As a result of this waiver, Intel is authorized to operate multiple small drones at night within Special Security Notice Flight Restriction Areas in the US.
This waiver is in addition to the Section 333 Exemption that Intel received to fly multiple aircraft in the United States earlier this year for its Drone 100 light show. According to Intel, the new FAA waiver allows the company in the US to “innovate beyond Drone 100 to 100s and even 1000s of drones in the future”. (Click here to see a video showing Intel’s Drone 100 light show.)
