Facebook有望借无人机空降互联网沙漠

    谷歌（Google）并不是唯一一家靠收购杀入机器人大战的科技公司。据科技网站TechCrunch报道，Facebook目前正在与一家太阳能高空无人机厂家Titan Aerospace接洽。这家公司生产的无人机能够在高空执行任务长达五年，中间无需落地加油。这正好是用来向世界欠发达地区提供互联网接口的理想载体，也是Facebook最有可能招揽来“下一个十亿用户”的平台。

    Facebook拒绝对此事发表评论，公司一名代表在写给《财富》的一封电子邮件中称此事只是“传言和推测”。不过如果传言是真的，那么Facebook可能很快就能利用Titan Aerospace的技术，在全球网络不发达地区对谷歌和各大移动运营商形成强有力的挑战（Facebook公司CEO马克•扎克伯格也认为这些互联网发展滞后的第三世界国家将是Facebook下一个巨大的增长机会）。只要11000架Titan无人机，就可以在高空中向这些地区覆盖足够的信号，让所有接触不到互联网的人都感受到网络的方便与快捷。如果Facebook拥有了这些无人机，那么我们可以很自然地推测，这些国家和地区的人们无疑会用上Facebook的社交网络以及它最近刚刚收购的WhatsApp来跟人联系。

    这个理念与谷歌气球计划大同小异。谷歌的做法是用高空气象气球搭载相关设备，让它充当一个大型的悬空Wi-Fi信号源。目前，谷歌正在南太平洋测试这种“气球阵”网络。但是Titan的技术可能在好几个方面都比谷歌的“气球阵”更理想。首先Titan的无人机比起一般的高空飞行器更像一种低轨道的卫星（甚至连这家公司自己都称它们是“大气层中的卫星”），而且它的载重量很可观，还可以飞行相当长的时间。

    其次，与传统飞行器不同，这家公司的Solara　50和Solara　60型太阳能无人机不需要经常着陆加油。它们机身上的电池会在白天储存足够的能量，支撑无人机度过夜晚，而且这两型无人机分别有着70磅和250磅的载重量。另外，无人机不像卫星和热气球，它可以迅速改变位置，到达需要的地方进行覆盖。由于它可以飞到海平面以上10英里的高度，也就是对流层顶部，因此不用担心它们受到气流、天气和民用航空器的影响。另外，它的高度也超过了国际大多数航空管制规定的范畴（比如美国联邦航空局的高度管理上限大约是60,000英尺）。

    另外，如果这笔收购是真的，Facebook在此时收购Titan也是一个正确的时机。目前Titan还是一家私人公司（它在华盛顿和纽约市都有办事处，但它的研发工作主要是在新墨西哥州的墨里亚蒂），资金主要来自种子基金。而且，虽然它已经通过试飞证明了自己的技术，但是Solara 50还要等到今年年底才有可能投入商用，Solara 60则至少要等到明年。Titan公司高层去年8月在华盛顿举办的世界最大的无人机展会接受《财富》采访时，几位高级工程师强调，他们的目标是生产价格在200万美元以下、且便于操作和养护的无人机，而且他们差不多已经准备好试飞了，只不过当时还没有。

    Google isn't the only web giant buying its way into the robotics game, or the ubiquitous global Internet game, for that matter. According to TechCrunch, Facebook is in talks to buy Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-flying, solar powered drone aircraft capable of staying aloft for up to five years without ever having to land or refuel -- ideal platforms for beaming Internet to remote regions of the world where Facebook's "next billion" are currently waiting to be plugged into the web.

    If the rumors are true -- Facebook declined to comment on what a representative termed "rumors and speculation" in an email to Fortune -- Facebook (FB) could soon leverage Titan's technology to challenge everyone from Google (GOOG) to mobile carriers in parts of the world where Internet is scarce (and where CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees Facebook's next big growth opportunity). A fleet of 11,000 Titan aircraft could loiter in the sky high above remote regions providing enough signal to connect populations below with the rest of the world. And if Facebook owns the drones, it stands to reason those people will be connecting through platforms like Facebook's eponymous social network or recent acquisition WhatsApp.

    The concept is very similar to Google's Project Loon, which is currently testing a network of high-flying weather balloons acting as overhead Internet hubs for remote regions in the South Pacific. But Titan's technology could trump Google's in several aspects. Titan's aircraft are more like low-flying satellites than high-flying aircraft (in fact the company refers to them as "atmospheric satellites"), capable of carrying a whole lot of payload for long periods of time.

    Unlike conventional aircraft, the solar-powered Solara 50 and Solara 60 don't have to regularly land to refuel -- onboard batteries store enough energy during the day to power the aircraft through the night (as well as enough to power 70 pounds and 250 pounds of payload, respectively). Unlike satellites and balloons, they can be rapidly repositioned to provide coverage where needed. If something goes wrong, they can land for repairs and relaunch rapidly -- something far more difficult for balloons and impossible for satellites. Flying in an atmospheric sweet spot roughly 10 miles above sea level known as the tropopause, the aircraft are generally untroubled by winds, weather, commercial air traffic, and most international aviation regulations (the FAA, for example, stops regulating air traffic at roughly 60,000 feet).

    Moreover, if the acquisition proves real, Facebook could be getting Titan at just the right time. Thus far privately held Titan (the company has offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, but runs its research and development out of Moriarty, N.M.) has supported itself through seed funding, and while it has demonstrated its technology in test flights, the Solara 50 and Solara 60 won't be ready for commercial service until later this year and next year, respectively. When Fortune spoke to Titan leadership in August at the world's biggest drone confab in Washington, D.C., senior engineers stressed that their focus is on producing a sub-$2 million aircraft that is simple to operate and maintain and that they were almost ready to put one in the sky, though they hadn't -- yet.