Commercialization of Swarm Drones in 2019... Over 100 Drone Shows
Focused on Researching Drone 'Autonomous Flight' with GPS-Free Positioning Recognition
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] This year, marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, a special drone show will be held at the commemorative ceremony. 300 drones will fly over the War Memorial, forming the flags of the 22 UN participating countries, the Taegeukgi (South Korean flag), and messages of gratitude to the veterans who fought in the Korean War. This is the first time a drone show will be featured at the Korean War commemorative ceremony. The drone show is managed by the domestic drone startup Ubifly.
◆ Turning the 'Drone Show' into a Profitable Product = The drone light show became famous thanks to Intel, which deployed 1,800 drones at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Intel does not sell the technology or drones used in the drone light shows. Ubifly seized this opportunity and commercialized 'swarm drones' within a year in 2019. Swarm drones involve flying multiple drones simultaneously in coordinated movements. It is crucial that the drones move along their paths without colliding individually or collectively. Ubifly's swarm drone IFO can fly for up to 20 minutes and move at speeds of up to 5 meters per second.
Ubifly showcased the IFO at CES 2019 in January, gaining attention as the first commercial swarm drone. In June of the same year, it was selected for the regulatory sandbox project alongside NCSoft and has since conducted over 100 drone shows domestically and internationally, including in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the Korea-ASEAN Special Summit, Poland, Romania, Mexico, and Australia. Currently, it offers services that can stage drone shows with 150 to 200 drones at desired locations. CEO Lim Hyun of Ubifly explained, "Instead of touring the world to perform shows, we implemented a business model where companies can operate the shows themselves," adding, "We plan to expand the scale of drone shows to 400 to 500 drones within this year."
The global drone service market is steadily growing. According to Drone Industry Insights, a drone research institute, the global civilian drone market is expected to grow from 16 trillion KRW in 2018 to 48 trillion KRW by 2024. The industrial drone market, used in construction, agriculture, and mining, accounted for about 12 trillion KRW in 2018, making up 80% of the total drone market.
◆ Goal of 'Autonomous Flight' with Position Recognition Without GPS = Next to Ubifly’s office is a drone practice area converted from an underground parking lot. The ability for drones to fly even underground where GPS signals are weak is thanks to 'autonomous flight' technology. While 'automatic flight' involves flying to predetermined locations, autonomous flight enables drones to avoid obstacles and make decisions on flight paths in emergencies on their own. Position recognition without GPS allows for use in various fields. CEO Lim said, "We are the only ones researching autonomous flight drones in Korea," adding, "Autonomous flight drones can be used for inspections of structures inside warehouses or factories."
Ubifly is a drone startup founded in 2015 by PhDs in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Seoul National University. CEO Lim Hyun, who dreamed of becoming a pilot, chose to research computers and robotics to apply them to drones instead of directly piloting aircraft. Lim smiled brightly, saying, "I fulfilled my dream by creating programs that pilot aircraft instead of human pilots."
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