Thai start-up showcases versatile drone at CES 2022 in Las Vegas
Thai start-up company HG Robotics debuted its prized Vetal drone at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas, USA, from January 5 to 7, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) said on Thursday.
The DITP said it had supported the booth in a bid to promote Thai innovation at a global event, which witnessed more than 2,300 exhibitors and welcomed over 45,000 visitors from 119 countries.
“The Vetal drone that HG Robotics debuted at the event attracted great attention,” said DITP director-general Phusit Ratanakul Sereeroengrit.
“Reuters mentioned it on their news website as one of CES 2022 Best Tech Trends to Watch, as the drone can take off vertically but then operate as a fixed-wing airborne vehicle,” Phusit said.
Meanwhile, USA Today said Vetal is a $20,000 (THB655,000) vertical takeoff and landing drone featuring a magnetic battery and the ability to swap payloads.
The highlights at CES this year were innovations in healthcare, sport, exercising, smart living, artificial intelligence and robotics.
The other innovations selected by Reuters as the Best of CES were a massaging robot from Massage Robotics; “Ameca”, a humanoid robot by Engineered Arts; a Tali motorcycle smart-helmet, which can alert authorities in case of an accident; “Amagami Ham Ham”, a therapeutic robot that nibbles on your finger to provide comforting effects; and an “Inupathy” device, which uses heart rate and activity to monitor your dog’s mood.
“The DIPT supported the travel of a total eight Thai start-up companies to CES 2022, which has resulted in 73 business negotiations with foreign companies and estimated trade deals worth 23.8 million baht,” Phusit added.
