Following the success of the Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars as a key breakthrough for unmanned flight powered by the Qualcomm Flight Platform – Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. continues its drone leadership by unveiling the world’s first drone platform and reference design to offer both 5G and AI capabilities, the Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform. This new solution helps accelerate development for commercial, enterprise, and industrial drones and unleashes innovative possibilities for industries looking to adopt drone solutions and realize the benefits of the intelligent edge. The Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform, powered by the Qualcomm® QRB5165 processor, builds upon Qualcomm Technologies’ latest IoT offerings, delivering a solution which will drive the next generation of high-performance, low-power, 5G drones.

“We are proud to continue our momentum of enabling the digital transformation of global industries by unveiling the Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform, a solution that is purpose-built for drone development with enhanced autonomy and intelligence features, bringing premium connected flight capabilities to industrial, enterprise and commercial segments,” said Dev Singh, senior director, business development and general manager of autonomous robotics, drones and intelligent machines, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The camera has Qualcomm’s Spectra 480 ISP for 8K video, 4K HDR video, and 200MP stills. It’s also equipped with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) for smoother footage. Digital zoom is included, though Qualcomm has not specified the specific metrics. A 7-camera concurrency enables fully autonomous flights. 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity support better transmission and more reliable BVLOS flights.

In addition to the platform, Qualcomm also released a drone kit for developers to customize their own builds. It includes a body, rotors, and other materials that allow users to create a drone right out of the box. Powered by the company’s QRB5165 processor, it supports on-device machine learning, computer vision, robust security, multimedia, Wi-Fi, and cellular connectivity capabilities.

Drones are already the go-to device for aerial chase scenes in movies, sweeping b-roll footage for documentaries, and grand, birds-eye landscape photography. Now, Qualcomm Flight is utilizing the core features of AI, camera, and 5G to enable seamless control and truly breathtaking captures.

Autonomous flying, made possible by AI, 5G, and state-of-the-art camera systems, means users can focus more on getting the perfect shot. Advanced camera features include electronic image stabilization (EIS), horizon leveling, and digital zoom, providing jitter-free imagery from far distances while maintaining a small form factor. This means footage and photography can be more immersive than ever before, especially when added to other features like multi-object tracking and digital gimbal. And because Qualcomm Flight is purpose-built for ultra-low power consumption, it’s possible to fly, film, and shoot photos longer without worrying about battery life.

5G technology enables instant transfer of high-resolution video footage back to drone controllers and movie directors to view, review, and direct further footage capture. Drones can detect, track, and follow multiple moving objects, enabling them to film scenes of action and thriller movies from different angles using multiple drones.