Chapter 424: The First Generation Machine Comes Out

The last day of golden September coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The afternoon sun shines through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled shadows on the spotless floor of the UAV R&D Center of the Intelligent Aerospace Division of Dewen Manufacturing. The air is filled with the unique fresh smell of new circuit boards.

Song Ci stood tall in front of the huge demonstration platform, his expression as calm and reserved as ever, except for a barely perceptible light flickering in the depths of his eyes, which was the excitement unique to a technology entrepreneur.

Standing next to him was Liu Shishi, who had taken off the gorgeous clothes and heavy makeup she wore on the screen, wearing only a simple beige knitted long skirt, with her long hair loosely tied up, revealing her graceful shoulder and neck lines.

She looked curiously at the futuristic space in front of her and the four-rotor drone with smooth lines and titanium gray on the platform.

This was her first time to come to Dewen headquarters, and everything here gave her a sense of novelty that was different from Tengda Group.

"Mr. Song, Madam, this is the company's 'Chu Yi No. 1' prototype." Xue Yue, general manager of the business unit, introduced happily.

His tone was filled with suppressed excitement. After leading the team for months of hard work, the first results were finally achieved.

Song Ci smiled and nodded, feeling very happy about the launch of the company's first UAV. Regardless of the product parameters and performance, Dewen Manufacturing finally had its first independently developed product, which was the first step in a long journey.

"Mr. Song, let Engineer Chen introduce the various features of the "Chu Yi No. 1" to you."

As soon as the words fell, the large screen behind everyone lit up, clearly displaying various parameters and design drawings.

Chen Ming, chief engineer of Dewen UAV R&D, picked up a remote control that looked like a game controller and explained loudly: "Mr. Song, the core advantage of the "Chuyi No. 1" is first of all stable hovering.

Based on the fusion positioning of GPS and barometer, automatic hovering within an error of 2 meters can be achieved in an environment without strong interference.

This is absolutely the leading level in the current consumer market. Currently, only DJI's Phanton 1 can compete with ours."

As he spoke, Chen Ming gently pushed the joystick, and the drone on the platform rose lightly, making a low hum, and hovered steadily at a height of one and a half meters above the ground, without moving at all.

Liu Shishi widened her eyes slightly. "Chu Yi No. 1" was quieter and more stable than she had imagined.

"Secondly, it's easy to use." Chen Ming noticed the surprise on the proprietress's face, handed the remote control to Liu Shishi, and added with an encouraging smile.

"We have optimized the flight control algorithm and preset a variety of flight modes. Even if it's your first time, you can quickly master the basic operations. Madam, are you interested in trying it?"

Liu Shishi looked at her husband, Song Ci raised a gentle smile and nodded gently: "Try it, it's safe."

She took the remote control somewhat awkwardly and placed her fingers on the joystick according to Chen Ming's instructions.

The cold touch and slight damping made her feel a little nervous. After all, this was the first "treasure" developed by her husband's company, but she was more curious and eager to try it out.

Carefully push the left joystick, and "Chuyi No. 1" will slowly rise up obediently. Push the right joystick again, and it will fly forward steadily, drawing a smooth arc above the spacious R&D center.

"Wow!" Liu Shishi couldn't help but exclaim softly, a smile of pure surprise blooming on her face.

The feeling of controlling a mechanical creature to fly freely in the air is so wonderful, as if it is an extension of one's senses.

She tried to make the "Chuyi No. 1" hover, and the drone indeed stayed steadily in the air, like a tamed mechanical falcon.

Song Ci's eyes fell on his wife's focused and excited profile. The glow from the novelty of things made him feel more satisfied than signing any big deal.

He took a step closer and whispered to his wife, "In the future, we will equip it with a high-definition camera, so that we can use it to take unique shots on the set."

Liu Shishi's eyes lit up. As an actress, she instantly realized the value of this feature: "Wouldn't it be possible to shoot many angles that were difficult to achieve before?"

"Mr. Song and his wife have a good idea!" Xue Yue said at the right time, "The value of consumer drones lies in aerial photography. We have been working with Sony to develop high-precision stabilization gimbals and compatible high-definition 4K cameras.

The company plans to launch a consumer-grade multi-rotor drone for photography enthusiasts and professionals early next year.

The core selling points are excellent stability, movie-level image quality, easy operation and reasonable price. The goal is to establish the Dewen drone brand and professional reputation with high cost performance.”

Song Ci nodded with satisfaction: "What is the price of this product?"

"The DJI Phantom 1 is priced at about US$680, or RMB 4,700. We plan to take advantage of our company's financial strength and set the price at no more than RMB 3,000. In the early stages, we will provide appropriate subsidies to quickly capture the market for photography and travel enthusiasts."

“Sure! A drone priced at around 3,000 yuan is really cost-effective!” As an Internet tycoon, Song Ci never hesitated to seize the market by spending money in the early stages, and immediately expressed his support for Xue Yue’s plan.

Chen Ming took over the conversation and pointed to the parameters on the big screen, "Mr. Song, this is the company's current core idea for drone development: high cost performance!

We have integrated the supply chain and have a high proportion of self-developed core components. While ensuring leading performance, our target pricing will be much lower than similar international products.

Mr. Xue and I are confident that the "Chu Yi" will become a "flying camera" that can truly enter the mass consumer field. "

As she spoke, Liu Shishi tried a few simple flying moves, including spinning, retreating, and circling in a small area.

Every command received a precise and rapid response, and the pleasure brought by the sense of control of "point and go" made her unable to put it down.

After testing the flight for a while, he gently put down the remote control, and the drone landed smoothly under Chen Ming's operation.

"It's amazing," Liu Shishi turned to Song Ci, excitement still lingering in her eyes, and spoke sincerely.

"Although I don't quite understand the technical parameters, it is really simple and stable to operate. I feel like it can really fly into the lives of ordinary people."

Song Ci held his wife's hand, gently stroking the back of her hand with his fingertips, his deep eyes full of admiration and pride.

It is not only an affirmation of his wife's idea, after all, the future prospects of the low-altitude economy are bright, but also a pride in the achievements of the company team.

Zhuozhuo looked at the "Chuyi No. 1" parked quietly on the platform, its titanium-gray fuselage reflecting a cold and powerful light.

"This is just the beginning." Song Ci's voice was low and firm. He was speaking to Liu Shishi and all the engineers present. It was more like a declaration for the future.

At this time, Tang Jun hurried over with a stack of documents.

Song Ci was curious: "Why are you here?"

Tang Jun smiled and explained: "I heard that you and your wife came to the company. I happened to be working overtime, so I came to see if you have any instructions."

"When I have some free time, come and see "Chu Yi No. 1" with Shishi." Song Ci changed the subject, "Lao Tang, you have to work overtime during the Mid-Autumn Festival. You should find some time to find a girlfriend. Life can't be all about work."

Tang Jun responded with a smile, thinking to himself that if a man is successful in his career, he will have a wife: "Mr. Song, if it is convenient for you, I would like to report the UAV development plan?"

Song Ci raised his wrist and looked at the delicate dial: "Okay."

Upon hearing this, Tang Jun immediately looked at Xue Yue and Chen Ming: "President Xue and Engineer Chen, please come together and let President Song take a look at the long-term plan of our Intelligent Aerospace Division."

The two looked at each other. Originally, after the chairman came to visit "Chu Yi No. 1" today, he would be able to go home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was really frustrating to have a leader like Tang Jun, a "roll king".

Everyone moved to the conference room. Song Ci sat in the main seat and Liu Shishi sat on his left, both of them feeling the work report atmosphere of the technology company with great interest.

Xue Yue started the conversation by saying, "Mr. Tang, I just mentioned to Mr. Song the plan to officially launch the first drone early next year."

Tang Jun nodded and picked up the materials: "Mr. Song, time is tight and I don't have time to prepare a PPT. I can only dictate."

"No problem, let's get started."

“After the launch of the first generation of products, we will immediately develop control apps and basic post-processing software for mobile phones and tablets.

At the same time, we will open the software development kit to attract global developers to develop applications for drones, such as route planning, customized functions for specific industries, and creative gameplay.”

"You want to build a drone ecosystem?" Song Ci was stunned when he heard this, and then laughed, "You, you actually set your sights on Tengda."

Tang Jun said confidently: "Dewen can cooperate strategically with Tengda! Use Tengda's cloud service for data processing and storage.

Rely on WeChat and Weibo social platforms to build drone user communities and word-of-mouth marketing. Amap can provide high-precision maps and positioning services. "

Xue Yue and Chen Ming's eyes lit up and they secretly admired him. They both came from technical backgrounds, and they were indeed not as far-sighted as the president in charge who came from Tenda when it came to product layout.

Song Ci readily agreed: "I will tell Zhang Yong about the cooperation between Dewen and Tengda. Dewen is still in its early dormant stage, so I will ask Zhang Yong to help as much as possible."

Liu Shishi smiled and said, "They are all my biological sons."

Song Ci chuckled: "Tengda has other shareholders, so don't be too blatant."

"Thank you, Mr. Song!" Tang Jun smiled and continued to report: "The company will quickly iterate its products in the areas of performance improvement, obstacle avoidance enhancement, and intelligent flight from 2014 to 2015.

We will launch portable foldable models for travel and Vlog markets, as well as higher-end professional photography models.”

After a short pause, he turned to the next page of materials: "Another strategic focus is to quickly enter the industry application market. First, develop agricultural plant protection drones with large load capacity, long flight time, and precise spraying capabilities.

The second is to make high-precision surveying and power facility inspection drones. The last is a public safety machine with night vision, thermal imaging, and voice communication functions.”

Seeing that Tang Jun was about to continue, Song Ci raised his hand to signal him to pause: "This three-year plan already requires the company to invest a lot of money and resources. If the strategy can be implemented, there will be a future.

No matter how perfect the plan is, if it cannot surpass its competitors in key performance indicators such as battery life, image transmission distance, wind resistance, and accuracy, it will ultimately be just talk.

Even if the core technology is leading, the construction of the supply chain of key components such as motors, ESCs, batteries, and chips will require huge investments, and there is still a long way to go.”

Tang Jun's expression was slightly restrained, and he said modestly: "It's me, Meng Lang. Your suggestion hits the nail on the head."

Song Ci sighed: "In fact, drones, like smartphones, must follow the high-end brand route to avoid falling into low-end price wars and always maintain extreme product strength and technological innovation.

Mr. Chen, you are a technical expert. Can you tell me what key technologies are urgently needed to be solved in drones? "

Chen Ming pushed up his glasses and responded solemnly: "Mr. Song, adaptive hovering and low-power algorithms are key technologies to improve autonomy, stability and endurance, especially in complex environments or resource-constrained scenarios. They are crucial."

Song Ci paused for a moment and said, "I know about low-power algorithms. The core is to reduce computing and communication energy consumption and extend battery life. This requires both hardware chip and algorithm optimization.

You need to do your own PR for the hardware issue. As for the lightweight algorithm, I will coordinate with Tengda Group to lend you the Tianwen supercomputer for use once. You must seize this opportunity. "

"Thank you for your support." As the former president of WeChat, Tang Jun knew the importance of "Tianwen" to the Tenda Group. It was the hub of the entire Tenda big data recommendation operation.

Even with the prestige of Song Ci in Tengda, it would take a lot of effort to convince the board of directors to borrow "Heavenly Questions" for use once.

Xue Yue and Chen Ming also understood the importance of supercomputing to Internet companies and expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

"Tell me about the adaptive hovering technology. I will handle any problems that can be solved." Song Ci looked calm. With his authority in Tengda, he had no pressure to use "Heavenly Questions" once or twice.

Dewen’s potential is no worse than Tengda’s, and we will repay this favor in the future.

Chen Ming continued to report: "Mr. Song, adaptive hovering refers to the UAV adjusting control parameters in real time.

Maintaining stable position and attitude when dealing with external disturbances such as wind and load changes. Technical bottlenecks include... "

After listening to the chief expert's introduction, Song Ci looked solemn: "I understand, the strategic significance of this technology far exceeds the breakthrough of a single function.

Once it is conquered first, it will reshape the industry structure and build a long-term monopoly advantage. Whichever drone company masters adaptive hovering will be able to upgrade from an equipment manufacturer to a maker of intelligent airspace rules.

We can still use the old method. You can gradually tackle the hardware problems such as gyroscopes and sensors. For the parts that require cooperation with hardware manufacturers, you can jointly develop and share patents.

Tang Jun, you will lead a technical barrier task force to break through the technical bottlenecks that Engineer Chen just mentioned one by one. If you are short of people, recruit them; if you are short of money, report the budget. I fully support you. "

Tang Jun did not dare to delay and immediately took up the task, expressing his determination to do his best.

Song Ci encouraged him, "Thank you for your hard work. If the adaptive hovering technology can make a breakthrough, your due compensation from Dewen will be paid in full."

Tang Jun's pupils slightly widened, his heart suddenly burning with joy, as he finally had a clear hope for Dewen's shares.

After some consolation, Tang Jun, Xue Yue and Chen Ming declined the chairman's invitation to dinner and went home after get off work.

Just after leaving the conference room, Tang Jun suddenly remembered something and approached Song Ci to ask quietly: "Director Song, does the company want to develop an army..."

Song Ci's expression froze, and he interrupted sternly: "Shut up! How can you talk about this in this kind of situation!"

(End of this chapter)