Ford Patenting a Drone You Can Deploy from Your Car's Trunk

As drones become more commonplace—the FAA says there will be 4.3 million of them in the hands of hobbyists by 2020— it’s no surprise that automakers have taken an interest. Ford has been proclaiming its interest in new approaches to"mobility," and one of those is a patent for a programmable drone, as shown in the sketch above, that drivers can deploy from a vehicle.

Despite the patent illustrations showing what appears to be the sketch of a Ford Fusion, Ford says that the patent can be applied to all types of vehicles, from trucks to sedans to SUVs and crossovers.The drone's quadcopter design means that it has four propeller blades that are connected to four separate arms extending away from the body of the drone.

Other potential functions include a follow mode, one where it takes video of the vehicle, and a security mode in which the drone patrols around the vehicle. There is also a possibility for manual control of the drone, and the patent calls for a dedicated processing system and onboard computer, while drone information could be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. All of this would potentially allow a great deal of customization and personalization.

As for Ford, it hasn't announced any reveal date for a drone option in its new models, either, but it did publish an article about its drone research in which it stated,"As drone adoption accelerates, we think many of our customers will want to use these devices as part of their lifestyle, whether to pursue hobbies or even as a tool for their business — no different than how they use an F-150 or Transit on a job site.

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