Twitter Is Going To Build A Drone
Social media network gets granted patent for drones that stream live video and photo content
The world of social media might be about to change forever following the news that Twitter has been granted a patent to build its own drones.
Twitter was cleared last week to begin developing an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, that takes photos and videos that can be uploaded and shared on user accounts, according to a CNBC report.
The Twitter drone would allow users to control the unit and then stream what it captures online.
Flying high
Twitter declined to comment on any possible production schedules or release date for the device, with the company spokesman’s only remarking, “Two words: Drone selfies.”
This could even mean a future team up with the site’s Periscope service to broadcast live video of big events.
Drones have become a major area of interest for many leading technology companies over the past few months, offering one of the few truly unique areas for expansion right now.
This includes delivery and shipping, as shown by Amazon throwing its full weight behind drone delivery, as it hopes to launch its Prime Air service within the next few years.
But drones can also be used for connectivity purposes, with Facebook Facebook recently revealing its Aquila drone project, which will see unmanned aircraft the size of a commercial airliner beaming the Internet to unconnected parts of the world from 90,000ft in the sky.
Intel has also shown its interest in drones, investing $60m (£38.74m) in leading Chinese drone manufacturer Yuneec back in August.
However this explosion in drones has led to a need for legislation surrounding their development and use, with several organisations expressing concern over potential privacy issues.
Earlier this month, the European Commission (EC) has unveiled a new aviation strategy for Europe, one that includes a legal framework revision for the safe use of drones in the continent’s skies.
The laws, developed with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), allows the EC to “pave the way for our industry’s success in this promising market” of drones.
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