Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) has agreed to buy German unmanned aerial vehicle developer Ascending Technologies for an undisclosed sum as the companies seek to accelerate adoption of computing tools in the drone market.
Josh Walden, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s new technology group, wrote in a blog article published Monday the transaction is subject to customary closing terms and offers the company an opportunity to equip AscTec-built UAVs with cloud computing, sensor and communications technology.
“We plan for the Ascending Technologies team to continue supporting their current customers while also collaborating with Intel’s perceptual computing team to develop UAV technology that can help drones fly with more awareness of their environments, ” Walden added.
The companies signed a partnership agreement last year to integrate AscTec’s sense-and-avoid algorithm and Intel’s RealSense depth sensing platform as part of drone safety efforts.
