Popular photo-sharing app Snapchat, who changed it’s company name to Snap Inc. sometime last year is reportedly working on a drone. The purpose of the drone will initially be to capture aerial photos and videos.
According to a report published by The New York Times which cites three sources who were briefed on the subject, the company is working on a new product — a Snapchat drone. However, it is unclear whether the latest speculated product will reach the commercial market or not.
“One of the products that Snap has worked on to bolster that direction is a drone, according to three people briefed on the project who asked to remain anonymous because the details are confidential. A drone could help Snap’s users take overhead videos and photographs, and then feed that visual data to the company,” the report read.
The company has been exploring numerous segments of the consumer product market in the recent past. For instance, Snapchat launched Spectacles in September 2016 that allowed users to record eye-view footage and upload it on it’s photo-sharing platform. The Spectacles were put on sale only last month at a price of $129.99 (approximately Rs 8,700).
Snap Inc. was also rumoured to be working on an Android smartphone that would reportedly provide users more control over camera features. The handset would feature a lock screen that allows users to easily swipe for Snapchat notifications and updates, messages and sync with Spectacles easily. The device would also reportedly sport a separate Discover screen that would give users different kinds of information including Snapchat Stories, advertisements, GPS and Maps data.
According to Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel, Snap is a camera company and they feel like they are at the beginning of what cameras can do, “evolve from being just a piece of hardware to software connected to the Internet.
Snap Inc. even has a dedicated division of it’s own called Snap Labs that works on secret projects including wearable cameras, facial recognition and 3D scanning technology, Reuters reported.
The company has declined to comment on the reports of it’s interest in drone technology.
