Among Ehang's 300 staff, over half are in the research-and-development team, said Xiong. "Most of them majored in computer science from well-known domestic universities and have rich experience in the information technology industry."
Some technologies that Ehang uses, like motion sensors and virtual eyeglass, have been in use globally, although Ehang is the first firm to use them in UAVs, after innovating its products.
"The advanced information technology is the base of our drone development and we also improve some technologies, including the flight control system," Xiong said.
Given the well-established manufacturing base and the associated industrial chain, it is possible for Chinese drone-makers to supply to the whole world, some experts said.
In the civilian drone segment, Chinese companies are strong in avionics and complete machine design, said Zhang Feng, secretary general of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China.
There are 300 to 400 civilian drone enterprises in China at present, involving over 10,000 employees, according to the AOPA.
Chinese manufacturers are not satisfied with just making civilian drones. For some at least, industrial drones represent one of the future opportunities. No Chinese company leads in this segment yet.
Compared with consumer drones, industrial drones need more complicated technologies but yield higher profits as well.
Ehang has already launched two industrial drone products, which mainly work on environment protection, forestry and aerial photography, said Xiong.
"We applied the concept of 'intelligent flying' to our industrial products. They could fly according to pre-planned flight points and save on the cost of human resources," he said.
Despites the small scale of its sales of industrial drones, the company has been receiving queries from potential buyers since August 2015.
The manufacturer has set for itself the tasks of educating consumers and displaying models of its drones at some industries, Xiong said. Drones can make a difference to many industries, he said. "We need to show them what drones can do now."
Similarly, DJI-Innovation has made development of industrial drones one of its future goals.
It has already launched its first product exclusively for the agriculture industry. Its drone with a built-in pesticide-sprayer protects crops. It hit the market in November 2015.
DJI-Innovation has tied up with a U.S.-based company to develop thermal-imaging cameras for inspecting power lines, bridges and solar panels, said Wang Fan, vice president of DJI-Innovation. "We are entering new areas with these products."
The advent of such products is gradually lowering some industries' cost of operations. For example, where high-cost helicopter services were the norm, low-cost drone services are used now. That is why, aerial scenes are now commonplace in TV programs and movies, said Wang.
Drones could help farmers to continue in agriculture rather than leaving rural areas in search of jobs in urban areas, he said.
Against this background, a host of businesses have expressed their willingness to use drones in operations like firefighting, search-and-rescue, material delivery, mapping and meteorology, Wang said. "But our supply can't meet all of that demand."
While the use of drones in inspection of power lines and in agriculture will likely continue, the products are still in the testing stage in other industries, said Yu Zexuan, deputy general manager of Hubei province-based Ewatt Co Ltd, one of the main industrial drone makers in China.
Yu is confident Chinese companies will sooner or later lead the segment of industrial drones as well because technology continues to be improved and more industries will likely use drones.
