Facebook WhatsApp Deal: Company To Acquire Drones?
In a few years globally, we might be seeing drones in the sky with the Facebook name and its logo emblazoned all over it. Facebook is moving beyond its WhatsApp acquisition, and going to the next level in robotics and aerospace.
According to Al Jazeera America, Facebook and Titan Aerospace are in talks. If the acquisition is completed, it could help Facebook launch its "Internet.org" initiative.
With this initiative along with the drones, Facebook could connect billions of people with its wireless access to those lacking internet access, especially in under-developing parts of the world such as parts of Africa and parts of Asia.
The Titan Chief Executive Vern Raburn has declined to comment on the so-called acquisition. What we do know is that Titan is developing a variety of solar-powered "atmospheric satellites." There is initial commercial operations slated for the year 2015.
These commercial solar-powered drones can fly at 65,000 feet above the Earth; they can remain above the Earth for up to five years; and, it has a 165 foot wingspan, slightly shorter than a Boeing 777.
Raburn stated that the drones can also do a multiplicity of missions, such as, perform communications, deliver data, optical, and weather sensing, just to name a few.
Before we get all nervous and conspiracy theorist about the whole use of drones, these are not the military drones that we read about that are supposedly killing terrorists. The Washington Post reported that these drones are known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAs). And Facebook intends on using them as friendly neighborhood delivery bots.
And not all drones are created equal. There is the possible Facebook UA, also Amazon intends to launch its "octocopters" -- they have eight rotors, hence the name. These octocopters are much smaller, lighter, fly much lower, and they can carry a payload of five pounds.
The Facebook UA can carry a payload of up to 25 pounds.
As you can tell, Facebook's UA already has competition. Forbes reported that Amazon bought Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012 to put robots in its distribution centers. And Google bought robotics firm Boston Dynamics, among many other robotics firms over the past year, and Google has reportedly been using the robotic technology to refine its self-driving car technology.
Perhaps Amazon and Google are more interested in delivery and factory use rather than communications. But last summer, Google launched its "Project Loon," where it deployed air balloons 12 miles above the Earth transmitting signals and establishing internet connections.
The future of Facebook's UA is perhaps revolutionary, although they will have a lot competition to face, they do have a lot of online invested support from its 2.1 billion users, and from WhatsApp.
And if they do launch in 2015, the FAA reports that by 2018 there will be 7,500 UAs in the U.S., so it means that Facebook will already be ahead of its time.