IBM is now experimenting with drones as a Netherlands-based designer and producer of unmanned aircraft systems, Aerialtronics has announced commercial drones featuring cognitive computing capabilities from the IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) Platform on IBM Cloud. Aerialtronics claims that its commercial drones are the first to leverage the IBM Watson IoT Platform and the Visual Recognition APIs to analyze images and identify specific areas of concern such as loose or frayed cabling and damaged equipment that could impact the quality of telecommunications service to consumers.
Drones are easy to deploy as its high definition cameras and Watson Visual Recognition APIs, immediately gain a complete 360-degree, high resolution overview while understanding what it’s seeing. Therefore, the teams don’t have to climb towers, inspect key areas and report back findings. Drones can capture the required images in less time and with its push button it immediately transfers the images to the IBM Watson IoT Platform to be analyzed in near real-time.
Harriet Green, General Manager, IBM Watson Internet of Things, Commerce & Education stated, “Pairing the unlimited perspective of drones with Watson IoT can bring these powerful cognitive capabilities to any location, where it can be used to analyze unexpected traffic patterns resulting from nearby construction or how a train is performing while it’s in transit. We are very excited to work with Aerialtronics to bring these capabilities to telecommunications providers and we look forward to continuing to push the boundaries on what this pairing can accomplish.”
With Watson IoT, Aerialtronics can help companies open up an expansive number of possibilities to gain insight in places not easily accessible to humans. Possible scenarios comprises of:
Crowd Safety: City Law enforcement could gain a full aerial view of crowds at major events, tracking the flow of individuals and identifying any anomalies that might be cause for concern. For example, if an unusually large group of people gathers near an emergency exit, teams can be alerted to clear these areas for easy accessibility.
Damage Assessment: Emergency First Responders could prescribe a specific flight plan for drones, which can then take capture images of their assigned grid. These images could then be analyzed to access potential damage, dangers, and to drive immediate and appropriate emergency response.
Aviation Inspection: An aircraft manufacturer could use a drone to inspect the surface of a stationary aircraft as part of its regular maintenance and instance evaluation. The drone could also be programmed to follow the same flight plan of an aircraft, taking images on the fuselage in-flight to provide an even more valuable layer of insight that teams could examine to help identify potential areas of concern and prescribe immediate and appropriate action.
IBM claims to be also investing $200 million in the new global headquarters for its Watson Internet of Things (IoT) business in Munich, which is one of its largest ever investments in Europe. IBM also partnered with Schaeffler, where it will connect and transform Schaeffler’s business from its supply chain, through to manufacturing, sales and after-sales service.
New Watson IoT offerings:
Watson IoT and Blockchain: a new capability that connects Internet of Things data to Blockchain through the IBM Watson IoT Platform. Businesses can share IoT data in a secure, private blockchain to reduce the costs and complexities of doing business across a network of people and goods.
Security Solutions and Services: A new set of IoT Security Solutions and Services that help companies proactively identify potential risks and protect their devices from compromise. Enhanced security features in the Watson IoT Platform will provide visibility to possible exposures across the IoT landscape, alerts for immediate notification, and automatic operational responses tailored to individual customer environments.
Natural Language Interface: New offerings which enable customers to tap the Watson IoT platform to develop new voice interfaces for customers – in homes, cars, stores, hotels and offices.
Cognitive IoT Cookbook: A new resource that includes new recipes for developers containing code and best practice approaches for solving cognitive IoT challenges using Watson’s Natural Language Application Program Interfaces (APIs).