In case you haven’t noticed, computer chipmaker Intel is big on drones and automation in general because it wants to sell the chips that will power those devices. But according to Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, it’s not so much the gadgets themselves that are important, but the data that they’ll generate and how it will be used in the future. Speaking at a dazzling opening day keynote presentation at the AUVSI Xponential show in Dallas,Krzanich said that “data is the new oil” and will shape the century ahead.
“A data explosion like this we have never seen. There will be more data than you can possibly imagine,” Krzanich told the convention in a presentation that opened with him rolling onto the stage on an autonomous Segway robot named Loomo. He said that today, humans in their various interactions with technology generate 650 MB of data a day, typically. By 2020, thanks to the widespread use of autonomous systems including cars, drones and eventually aircraft, the data load will be gigabytes per person. Even your kitchen refrigerator will get into the act, with smart sensing and machine learning technology that will order fresh milk before you even know you need it. As Intel sees it, machines will exchange and analyze data constantly, learning how to improve everything from manufacturing efficiency to medical diagnosis. Krzanich believes the data explosion will produce millions of new related jobs and businesses.
Intel has invested heavily in aviation drone technology and showed it off in its new Falcon 8+ inspection drone, which is targeted at the construction and civil maintenance industries. The Falcon conducted a demo bridge inspection on a giant plastic bridge Intel provided just for the purpose. (See AVweb’s video on the drone here.) Krzanich said drones will penetrate aviation at many levels, including an application to inspect jet aircraft, which Airbus has already developed. “We believe the future will be defined by intelligence and machine learning. The vehicle itself is less important,” Krzanich said.
All of Krzanich’s tech gadgets performed flawlessly, with the exception of the drone that flew in his slide clicker from offstage. He missed the catch and wryly commented that when a human is in the loop, sometimes things don’t work as planned.
