Why is Ford, a legacy automobile company, building drones? Adi Singh, Principal Scientist for UAV Systems at Ford’s Silicon Valley office, explains all the ways that Ford is researching and planning on using drones in their global business. And it’s not just flying cars.
Read Ford’s own take on their drone initiative, “Why a Car Company Is Looking to the Skies: A Glimpse into Ford’s Drone Research”
Ian:
[0:47] Hey everybody and welcome to commercial drones FM I'm Ian Smith and today I am in Sunny Palo Alto.
At the Ford Motor Company Innovation facility with our guest ADI sing who is the principal scientist for UAV integration welcome to the show a t and thank you so much for having me here.
Adi:
[1:07] Thanks and thanks thanks for coming around and thinks I have an issue.
Ian:
[1:10] Yeah I gots my pleasure so first before we get started I mean I know everyone's going to be interested you know what is for doing with drones but before we get started I want to talk a little bit about you what is your background and kind of you know how did you.
Here to this amazingly gorgeous office.
Adi:
[1:26] Well.
We weren't always this way so I've been I've been booked in one capacity of the other at Ford since June of 2014,
and before that I was just doing my bachelor's and Master's at Stanford across the street so it wasn't really too far-fetched a possibility for me to offend some.
And enjoying the company here.
I'm about to lose my academic background isn't Aeronautics and astronautics and my focus has always been drones from a academic perspective and a hobby perspective.
And when I joined food it wasn't as a someone was working in Jones but someone was looking and Mobility to my boss likes to joke that.
I work for a car company but I've never worked on a project to do with cars it's always been on one of these other aspect Mobility aspects that you've mentioned in our conversations today.
So I was looking bikes which was my starting position at Ford where we walked in there and 4 cycle projects contribute internal battery work.
I did a project I was just called right as for health which was a Mobility project in Gambia.
On the phone assistant bit and then a addendum Excel project which eventually released in and ended up with each acquisition of Chariot in San Francisco and in 2016.
[2:50] And write about when that happened but then natural transition that that was about the time when but when I seven have been released.
It was August of 2016 and it seems like and I'm there had been just that the month after time they released its Vision man concept I think we got the sense that for that the industry is moving in are in a manner that.
This is yet another motive ability that we can explore and who better to look at it that someone who's already been working today projects.
Ian:
[3:19] That's that's really cool and so just the kind of set the scene for those that are listening we've got a really cool new office here so I just.
ADI took me on a tour super Silicon Valley feeling like Wide Open Spaces.
Tons of white boards everywhere like lots of glass and everything but what struck me was that I definitely yet to see a single Ford car or truck.
Like nothing I saw bike in the front.
I saw and see some of your drones over here but yeah there's like no Ford cars inside and so I think the key word here is mobility and you know it's becoming very apparent that you know this facility this this group of people here,
at this office are kind of looking at everything almost everything else besides automobiles themselves.
Adi:
[4:09] A true although I'd say that with the caveat that it's not that black and white I can assure you they are cars and trucks and vehicles in the facility just not out for display because they're being actively worked on,
but you know I'd always like to remind people that we have a 100 + 0.
History of of building and in manufacturing and designing cars good cars and ultimately everything that we have been doing since the company was founded was moving people and goods from point A to point B.
We just expanding the scope and now using more methods and just cars to do the same so the pieces of abilities is still the same.
Ian:
[4:47] So what's the plan that I mean you know the first thing that I think is okay Ford.
We've got some drones hear some uavs should we just slap some wings on a Mustang and call it a day and now we've got a flying car or is there another kind of play here like what's the what's the plan with this with this drone Division I mean,
yo I've gotten a little brief taste of it but maybe you can explain for the listeners a little bit more about what's Happening Here.
Adi:
[5:13] Right but that's very good question and I do like to wet the appetite whenever I'm pitching on June division or a drone work.
00 with the concept of flying cars because it's so easily digestible since I guess most of our generation has grown up watching Jetsons and and fantasizing about Jetsons.
But I think that that's still.
A long ways away or at least a few years away and there's a lot of steps that we need to.
We need to do to accomplish a lot of hurdles that need to be crossed before we reach that area the area of scalable flying cars in operation when if you look at it I didn't think I was reading.
An article on the history of flying cars and I think the first flying car concept was developed.
In the 1920s so there's at least things have been around so you're not in the in the shape of these one of contacts.
When should we cannot spell fun but we are interested in is building a scalable thing which operates on the order of magnitude at cars Now operate and for that a lot of these little steps need to be.
Crossed and starting off with these low footprint drones that are very lightweight and do something useful.
Till we bring the society the government the customers the market the shareholders to a point where.
Find cars becomes a reality and I usually bring about change that you can bring about too much change at once.
Ian:
[6:52] The cut that Ian cut this part out.
Adi:
[6:54] I'm glad I wasn't the one thing that that's fine.
Well I'm doing this I have a really good next question I hope I don't forget shit I never happens if you want me to take notes.
[7:13] Okay.
Ian:
[7:18] All right has Ford ever had a.
Any history in aviation and I ask this because you know Honda actually has a jet the Honda Jet.
Honda has kind of dabbled in aviation before,
do you know if Ford has ever done anything in aviation I mean you manufacture somebody parts of a vehicle that could be applied to a existing like manned aircraft or anything is there any history there that you're aware of.
Adi:
[7:47] That's a very good question and it's.
It's so interesting because I find so interesting because it's right at the Crosshair of my background effusion and my job in an automobile industry so the short answer is yes,
Ford Aerospace is all that you have to Google and an Ender in the fifties and sixties,
I'm not sure about the exact dates food had a very well functioning and expensive division looking in,
into into outer space.
And you know part of that have to do with World War II and the government requiring assistance with production and how the weather run facility was set up to 8 with that and.
I did hear a rumor to the chapel and vouch but it may be true that when the initial moon landings to play sliver for employees in the Kennedy Center assisting with that.
We do have a history and if you look at the the automobile industry in general not just found out not just food by.
Tipping other companies big automobile companies that have been involved in aviation before so BMW used to manufacture planes which is why they're their logo is the.
Is the half blue half white which is a spinning why people are against them.
Ian:
[9:10] The opposite way.
Adi:
[9:13] But the Rolls-Royce actually the other thing which is they they were so big into cars and now that they have kind of you know been separated into different divisions they focus on jet engines.
So since the technology is so similar.
And even at the physics affect the mechanics of the processes is so similar the system engineering thinking is so similar there's a lot of cross breeding between the two fields.
Ian:
[9:38] What's that that's that's really interesting I wasn't aware of Ford Aerospace I'll have to check that out and and Google it after this,
see we mentioned earlier the transition into a Mobility company and yes of course they're sick Ford cars here if I just haven't seen them yet as you mentioned,
can you describe the a little bit about like what's your day today here I mean your title is.
Super awesome principal scientist of UAV integration so what do you do at Ford in the UAV division.
Adi:
[10:08] Write a list three things that I'm involved with the first the easiest one is the technical stream which is actually getting the drones into our vehicles getting the drones into the mobility ecosystem building.
Innovation acceleration tools building Concepts inventing Innovations around invented Concepts around the area of flight.
Which could be useful for food to which end or Lapis Jewelry it's a lot.
The second is the policy aspect of it which is interfacing with government entities interfacing with the FAA and not just in the US but you need you as well.
To make sure that we have a pulse on.
How the industry shaping up because we want to inform a strategy accordingly according to.
How the government and the operation framework for uavs will be in 2 years from now and not what it is right now.
Add to that end we are very actively involved with working with the FAA.
Aspect to that is Ultimate to my work is the strategies of the things which is to ensure that the old is looking at the big picture there's a product development roadmap in place.
We have University Alliance resources that are.
Allocated to the right projects and an end have deliverables that make speech extends to the business.
[11:40] Send all three of those come together and then Define my responsibility to my work.
Ian:
[11:45] You mentioned the regulatory part of it so during my LinkedIn my habitual LinkedIn stocking for guests prior to the.
Adi:
[11:54] You know I get notifications for that.
Ian:
[11:55] Yeah yeah I do know and I know there's a setting where you can turn it off I don't care I want people to know Ian Smith has viewed your profile,
you were a member of the arcs of Aviation rulemaking committee specifically for at the integration of unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace.
In 2017 so what were your duties there what were you guys working on and why is forward again interested in this I think I'm going to continue asking this,
you know question on why is Ford interested in this to just kind of give an idea to help myself and all the listeners to to understand you know are we going to be flying around and flying Ford cars heavy in 20 years.
Adi:
[12:33] Quite a possibility and I would definitely not reject.
Possibility is just typing always temperate the saying we're not there yet as an industry as a market and but you know we are making her happy.
So you can take me to step back but wife what is interested that is definitely first question I'm asked for the last 2 years but never I talk about my job at in a private meeting or In-N-Out in a public forum.
So last month I did something front-loaded the conversation is at in the panel at the FAU symposium.
And while I wasn't using myself I said I know all of you are wondering right now wife what food is doing here so let me just clarify that now so we can go to the Crux of discussion.
And the answer is we are good. He complained we are focused on the efforts we have quite startups to to pursue those efforts were made strategic Investments.
And this is just one aspect of it off that all that investment and all that effort and bring together this holistic multi-modal ecosystem.
So hyped for me but maybe it's because I figured out I've been here long enough for me to very natural and organic section of what food is doing.
But I do understand that there is a huge huge Legacy that.
[13:51] Brings to the table and it's hard to think of it in a different way especially because.
[13:59] At least at this point not a lot of car companies have come come in public and and.
And really made themselves soon you seen his one-off Concepts and demonstrations and protons but but not really getting their hands dirty.
Ian:
[14:14] An example of one of those and we'll get back to the ark question in a second but an example yeah of course his Mercedes Benz with with Manor net I mean,
their partner together but you don't see Mercedes-Benz drone division people UAV division people and Ed attendance or speaking at any of these events or being involved in anything with the FAA or.
Any other.
Public facing activities that I'm aware of so that's a really a good point so I think that's why it's so interesting too and I know I only saw your name start popping up probably like,
yeah like last year 2017 during the arc thing I'll say Okay futuristic Ford as a representative there so something I needed to pay attention to.
Adi:
[14:55] It's one of those cookie things that was actually a bragging point for us you know we were the only automotive industry automotive company.
To participate in the ark not just the yard but the FAA but working closely with the FAA on drones so not only will be representing ourselves we are representing the automotive industry.
Ian:
[15:15] So remote ID in the ark so I know that's what you were involved in so the aviation rulemaking committee to finally back to that question to what was going on there and you guys are bringing some expertise for does not a stranger to large.
Regulation on moving vehicles at scale.
So there's a bunch of challenges with that and just tell us a little bit about the ark and your involvement there and and remote ID I think that ties in a very nicely with it.
Adi:
[15:44] Right right I think it's a very relevant question especially given the state of the commercial doing industry right now.
DFA has essentially realize that we need a reverse system for identification going on.
For drones implemented for drones across National Air space for these objects to be governed.
Dolphin and stares a lot of and how how are you going to discriminate a threat from from legitimate use.
And to that end of this lot of phobia and the public about the way drones can be used and the repetition isn't exactly very positive when you just speak to Lehman walking down the street.
So having a robust system of.
Identification and tracking to hold the user accountable for their actions for the use of the drones is essential for any other governments to take place is no point.
In creating legislation in creating rules when you can't even correlate a drone equipment to the person who is using it.
Answer you can say you can fly in a particular place but if you can't even identify who is doing it unless you're able to see them no point.
Very relevant and essentially the groundwork for any other legislation and rulemaking to take place.
I like to make this analogy that this is analogous to a to a license plate system for cars made it is the most essential.
[17:15] In the whole chain off holding people accountable for their actions you know down license plate number you reported.
Ian:
[17:23] What happens if you driving around without a license plate.
Adi:
[17:25] Like that we got pulled over.
Took but but but it doesn't end there right with my team wanted to do was.
Essentially understand what was the logic behind the various at its face value. It's very simple okay just left on a number on a on a car and you identify what what are the characteristics of implementing such an identification system,
you're making it and if acacian known to anyone in public anyone who looks at the car I'm just going to focus on the car for now so that's one so anyone can report your vehicle if.
Open sun is Raising it hold yourself accountable because you know psychologically that someone else can view your your vehicle and identify your vehicle and the boys.
Which is second thought just by knowing the cars identification number on a license plate number you are not able to track down the the driver,
I forgot you had to go through a process and lowercase is due process and this process is and the pii is limited to the toilet.
DMV in to the police and what's so that's another characteristic publicly.
Visible License Plate System but the pianist with Effectiveness system in a framework that is governed by supposed authorities on a case-by-case basis.
Ian:
[18:42] MPI being personally identifiable information.
Adi:
[18:43] Yes I'm sorry for the privation set up yet supposed to be identifiable information rights because privacy is a huge concern but nobody talking about identifying and tracking things it's always a balance between.
Law enforcement would love to track and identify everything and but then there's also the privacy and security concerns of not turning or siding to some orwellian version.
Of itself by itself is about that needs to be struck and we published a white paper together with the blog post.
And if you refer to last month.
Which coincide with the FAA Symposium old sandwich be broke down not just a technical solution which be presented at the Arkansas consider that they are can and eventually included in the arcs final recommendation for.
But the reasons behind creating a framework as such.
Knights on the scale ability Affair the acceptability of head privacy consideration Affair and also get into the needs of law enforcement.
Ian:
[19:42] So I know I want to I want to call out this blog post so we've been referencing it a few times and I just looked it up here on my computer so I've got to URL to share,
it's just medium.com so the blog platform medium.com city of tomorrow and I believe that is the Ford the Ford Motor Company's blog there and so if you just type in for drones you could see this blog posts were referring to and with that said.
We have a drone sitting here as well and so in that blog post you guys mention.
You come up with some technology to help with this remote ID problem so can you share a little bit about like how that works.
What was the the technology guys came up with was like super simple,
I think one of the benefits with that exact zero cost like the the capabilities are already on these drones maybe you can elaborate a little.
Adi:
[20:29] It's just the solution the white paper and the arcs recommendation report and the analysis of all the 7 Solutions included there it's all public so anyone was interested can definitely delve into that.
And then consider an inactive that essentially which was the idea of this whole Endeavor and which is to contribute to the industry in a positive manner and not just do a little thing in our little apps.
So the solution if he came up with was a Lupe some visual like communication visible light communication and.
[21:04] Which was one method by which we figured out what could you stay the anti-collision lights on a drone which are normally meant to refer any night-time operations and sends night-time operations.
Are fairly popular back 90% of the apartment 7 waivers are concerning night-time operations a lot of drones automatically come with that inherent capability of beaming a light.
Within a certain distance that is required by part 107 I think it's 3 statute miles.
Ian:
[21:36] Yeah I don't know that many drones that don't have anything to do some of the do-it-yourself drones you know those don't really you have to add on your lights your positioning lights your anti-collision lights yourselves but most of the ones the popular ones you can buy out of the box have those already.
Adi:
[21:49] Yes exactly that's a safety mechanism right but you know our problem II was can we use an existing component of the Drone.
To also give to the identification.
So we can put The Simple Solution there a software Library uploaded to your microcontroller or your flight controller.
Blink these anti-collision lights very fast too fast for you to even notice that everything is blinking but if.
For the human eye to to unsend to see if anything is blinking it after the power output all this week averages out which means you'll see them slightly different but not insignificant medium.
But if you held up a a smartphone which you know which is our way of putting the identification mechanism in everyone's hands and not just some people with special equipment two to beam into it.
If you put your smartphone a computer vision ASAP,
which we trained with convolutional neural networks to identify various drawing shapes and then 0n on a under lighting Solution on the under lighting aspect of it and then see which part of which lights are blinking because those are the ones you're interested in,
and you already know these frame rates so you can sink that system in exactly 4 for those lights and when you look at that date at those links are essentially a binary system,
which is continuously being mean your FAA registration number.
[23:21] And then guess what once the FAA registration is known to you you still don't know who the person is but you can report to the authorities similar to.
Ian:
[23:29] Similar to Ally.
Adi:
[23:29] Lessons lessons you learn from the car industry.
And then the essay is registration database is he giving you all flying about 107 already has all their contact and identification details and pii.
Ian:
[23:43] Very very interesting okay and so what's the status with this like you know you said that this is all available publicly I mean do you feel that this might be something that could be.
I don't know anniversary like a regulation that put in place or a policy but like.
What do you feel like that I mean it sounds like you guys thought about this a lot you you delve into it you develop the solution you showed that it works created the mobile apps and everything.
How much does a actually help how real do you think this is do you think it's just kind of you know a supporting piece of evidence that this could be a possibility and.
This is such a hot issues remote ID as drones continued and continued and continued to be in the skies you know you've got the obvious or trying to protect their hobby with.
336 sir I don't know if the numbers are all jumbled in my head but.
Adi:
[24:32] Section Suites.
Ian:
[24:35] What is this section 336 what is this bring to the conversation at this is this like the best Final Solution do you think or you know we've got a TSB that the potential solution what's going on here what's the state of affairs.
Adi:
[24:49] So far away from black and white answer I don't think any solution out there it's the best solution which is why I offer 4 months of deliberation they were seven Solutions included in the Box finder.
Ian:
[25:00] Oh so that's just one of the solutions.
Adi:
[25:02] So ours is one solution I think out of 50 plus that submitted to for consideration across the industry which was the amount of the what the world and only working groups.
And then there's a lot of system engineering analysis Matrix analysis SWOT analysis debate lots of debate as to what is possible in what's what's good what's feasible.
And a tsp like to mention is also one of those idiots p is definitely one of those Solutions and.
I'll wifi-based 82.11 is another solution selling cell phones right what I like to think of it is that each of these Solutions cater to a different class of operations.
And perhaps a different level of security is Satisfied by increasing levels of complexity an increasing level of equipment.
This solution is on the extreme end of the spectrum we're looking at low cost solutions for near range operations.
Would you consider that the ambient noise during daytime operations at the solution would likely.
And I'll pray for lively at but you know within about a 80 200 feet range.
But in our view if I'm concerned with privacy and I see a drone flying around something a little speck that is flying phone if you don't wait for me I probably won't even notice and it wouldn't bother me but if something is fine right in front of my face.
Or very close to me that's when I start getting interesting and start getting curious and I saw getting concerned that is when I want it to be recognized tonight.
[26:40] Of course I know the dod can come and say or not safety organization could come and say that.
Well but we want to on know who that was mine that lives back as well because this is protected are stays in for that for those cases you can have more Advanced Equipment you can have it ESP you can have Wi-Fi you can have some communication if you want.
But keep in mind but each of these additional equipment is you increase the cost of compliance and that's a barrier to entry.
OB when we were creating this we were considering not just the privacy of the user but also.
How easy it is for a hobbyist to comply with it and if you're going to say that on a 200 maker in a $200 drone that you have together you need it.
$500 piece of equipment so I can find doesn't make sense but if he say is a software Library maybe it's been a couple of dollars to get some Bright Lights you already make a safety case it actually helps you or your children as well.
Ian:
[27:39] Exactly.
Adi:
[27:40] You know that's where and that's the kind of spectral if you work with so you don't get in my discussion on the sidelines of the R I definitely see the recommendation that it has to be a.
There will be no single solution available right there it has to be based on the class of operation the type of operation you're doing and and the requirements.
Safety but you need to satisfy for that operation.
Ian:
[28:08] It's always been risk-based I mean you know wherever it poses a risk was you know for the part 107 regulations as well and Beyond Visual line-of-sight and the weight of the Drone in the,
so this is like the proximity of the Drone in the type of operation so it makes sense.
It's a tough problem to crack I really like the Ingenuity that you guys showed in developing this I think that could just be one of the layers one of the many potential layers that are used for remote identification and.
Adi:
[28:35] And let me just add something there because an interesting development came to my notice this week where the French effusion authorities and I was sharing this not email you today the French Revolution Tori's came up.
With a.
A proposal or at least say a show of intention I don't think it has been there has been any legislation around it about identification of drones so that we can all these governments are interested in identifying the drones flying in the air.
And they have a two pot solution one is a Wi-Fi and one is a light Beacon flashing Morse code which sounds strangely familiar to something we came up with.
Ian:
[29:10] Does indeed.
Adi:
[29:11] Long-time effects of a pat on the back for me to to to see that we kind of thinking ahead of the times and and really helping out the industry see things in a different light.
Ian:
[29:22] This drone that we have here this was really cool when you mentioned this to me as well so we've got a drone sitting on the table to be honest it's kind of looks like a little bit of a Tonka toy like a brightly colored but it's very like approachable it's 3D printed.
It's like you know a total DIY drone I don't see a lot of these these days but what you mentioned about it was which was super cool is that.
I think you were saying you know you want to.
To kind of promote anybody in this in this office so not everyone here is working on drums you got people working on airbags and different things that I saw just wouldn't when I'm walking around.
If I have an idea.
Do you know in this kind of like think tank in this creative collaborative environment they have going on here if you want them to be able to easily prototype that on the Drone to tell us a little bit about this drone this DIY little philosophy that you guys have here.
444 Furrier your UAV division.
Adi:
[30:17] Water filter is so much to talk about it.
Whole project the breadboard Drone and it is the same.
[30:29] Essentially a development platform which is why it looks such a DIY Tonka toy.
Ian:
[30:36] No disrespect of course.
Adi:
[30:36] That's fine then. That's almost a compliment actually so we wanted to create something.
[30:46] For the people that fought for the insurance at 4 to who had a lot of ideas and Concepts they want to test out and inventions they wanted to prove.
On Jones while they were working but they did not have but did not have a understanding of how to actually build a drone how to setup a drone how to program the flight controller.
You know that there's there's a special capability that you might have but it may not be feeling that drunk so what we do is.
Considerate the what a selfie frame of does it does all the nitty gritty.
Boring grunt work for you so you can build on top of that and add and focus on on.
Suffolk Community College the business logic when it's so just a novelty that you bring to the application instead of setting up your servers and scaling them in the cloud architecture in the communication of the date of bike plans whatsoever so.
Consider that consider this a hardware or software electrical.
Version of that framework which provides a way to accelerate development to give you a quick example he mention are bacteria and someone everybody wants to.
Stop on a modified version of an airbag or wants to design an air pack for drones or or has some idea where they could bring their capability to drones but did not know how to.
How to build a drone they can start off with this with this library that you shared with them it's a dumb to food right now.
Ian:
[32:16] By Library you mean like literally this drone right.
Adi:
[32:18] It's a it's a well it's a good repository that you shared across food.
What sucks about it has all the cat files in has all the phone where it has all the tutorials on the instructions of how to set things up.
Ian:
[32:28] Then I could just go ahead and.
Adi:
[32:29] Exactly so someone must really up when airbags wants to test something out all the needs a 3D printer and and you can order the parts but,
it gives them something to start off with from there you can you can change them everything is pregnant tries so if you want to do a configuration where you want eight arms instead of for very easily done.
If you would have miniaturized it all very easily done if you want to.
Change one of the Aztecs in in a cat more chilling and Anna cat software and.
Slapping on airbags that accommodates an airbag variously don't wake me in track tested used it's not from last year to test various sorts of Landing leg designs.
Because some of our Landings are exactly smooth so in the case in the in the case of rough Landings,
what is the best absorbing mechanism while also keep it cost an EZ of production into consideration to what you see here is a little different from what you might see on the Block boys because it's going through some literation,
what are the best.
Ian:
[33:32] The legs are totally to.
Adi:
[33:33] Yep shock-absorbing mechanism just going to give you an example.
Innovation acceleration like to like this at your disposal and then you can modify it however you like.
Ian:
[33:48] So you guys are kind of democratizing like drone Innovation within Ford that's really cool.
Adi:
[33:55] Yeah yeah you know just like how it going good is doing this for the industry and discussions earlier we are using part of drunkard components like the PS4 stack,
I'm too drunk control stations on and so forth to build on that because we do want to build on the shoulder of giants,
but that we also want to lend a shoulder of others to build a pond.
Ian:
[34:17] ADI you were quoted in CNN technology I believe a saying as drone adoption accelerates we think many of our customers will want to use these devices as part of their lifestyle whether to pursue Hobbies.
Or even as a tool for their business so with that in mind.
Can you give us a little taste maybe if we're looking out 5 years from now you know what are we potentially what would have what kind of things could be potentially see from Florida.
Where do you see your division moving forward and getting some traction for the Drone industry has a hole in that kind of 5 your time frame.
Adi:
[34:57] I have to be careful with that question no because I don't want to share the information but because I like you don't know that information I five years is so far had to see but you know when we are discussing our our our business priorities,
one thing we made certain is that we have a lot of momentum around any mode of ability that shows,
business potential ultimately yes we do take over the toys in and build a lot of cool stuff in.
And have fun but the pr business and everything needs to have a business case behind it so.
[35:31] You don't know my statement with CNN Anna is a kind of gifts away the kind of consumers we are looking at you can look at the hobby consumerist where when an individual might want to join their car to.
How to capture a photograph or a video snippet of bending something cool.
Ian:
[35:49] New Bronco maybe it comes to know 2022 model comes with like a drone in the van.
Adi:
[35:54] What do you do with vehicles like broncolin and Raptors you off.
Yeah exactly you you take them off roading and you do want to capture some of these nice moments where where you're not you're doing some stuff and maybe climbing some some low-key mountains are or what.
So that's one commercial operations is definitely another side of it and and I think our applications there's nothing novel in.
The markets we are going to look at night agriculture could be but whatever you wear you look at and monitor the health of vegetation your crops of a large tracts of land package delivery is,
another big thing that's coming up in and again something that's very easily digestible,
for people to understand don't care is my pizza from point A to point B inside of a car.
So I think the application is all exactly something where the novel supplies it's in the implementation of that and I think.
From whatever I told you but I work with bad blood drawn at the end of visible light communication and whatnot implementation something before Christmas but 90% of of it song.
Ian:
[37:03] So I can imagine though and it's kind of wrapping this up here you guys have a huge commercial I mean okay so did you just think of.
I don't know police cars in any city in the world in Topeka city or.
You know I work trucks for a specific utility companies or something,
you guys still a ton of commercial vehicle that's a huge part of your business so there's no reason why you couldn't you know bundle in some drones with that as well you know can everything on the you know hey maybe my Bronco or my Ford Raptor.
Comes with a drone too kind of like fill me while I'm doing this cool stuff so.
I'm super super interested and I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on you guys I think you're going to be are you going to be at exponential coming up by the time these errors exponential will probably be over but what about the commercial UAV Expo.
Las Vegas.
Adi:
[37:51] Yes. Likely have even if it's not me but we likely have representatives for my team at all these big events.
Ian:
[37:59] Excellent cool what will be watching you thank you so much again for having me a d at Ford here if you want you can get in touch with a d on LinkedIn.
I just search for ADI Singh Singh at Ford and boom he said he's gets some great contacts there and while you're at it if you want to follow the podcast on Twitter or something.
At drones podcast for facebook.com drones podcast.
And hit me up on LinkedIn why not Ian Smith search for me commercial drones FM is the company so I thank you everybody for listening and thank you again for having me at this awesome very cool collaborative.
Silicon Valley arm of Ford.
Adi:
[38:42] Thank you very much.
Ian:
[38:44] Alright everybody we're cutting off the mics fly safe cheers.

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