Have you driven a Ford (drone) lately?
Known internationally for its vehicles and the founder’s concept of the assembly line, Ford Motor Company is now turning its eyes to the fast growing drone industry to see if it can’t get in on the future of transportation on the ground level.
In a surprising move, the automaker has detailed plans to develop a platform for autonomous drone movement and testing.
A blog post from Ford Research and Advanced Engineering’s John Luo and Adi Singh detailed how the company had become inspired by the rise of UAVs. Luo, for his part, works in Ford’s Emerging Technology Integration division while Singh has a post with the company’s Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Integration.
“As researchers, we were intrigued by the relationship between our vehicles and drones and how we might serve our customers in the future, so we embarked on a mission to find out more,” the two researchers wrote.
When one thinks about it, the shift for Ford is not at all surprising given the company’s presence at the forefront of transportation technology. Indeed, even aviation firm Boeing is getting in on the drone market, making Ford’s move a natural if not logical one.
