Himax Subsidiary Liqxtal and iCatch Unveil Drone AI Imaging Pack
Liqxtal, a Himax subsidiary, and iCatch showcased a combined Drone AI imaging solution at CES 2026 on January 2, introducing a compact EO plus thermal module paired with an edge-AI vision SoC. The package brings up to ~20x optical zoom, on-device processing at up to ~4 TOPS, real-time detection and tracking, and EIS—features that can speed adoption of high-performance imaging and AI on advanced hobby builds and inspection drones.
At CES 2026 Liqxtal and iCatch revealed a modular imaging stack designed to put commercial-grade sensing and on-board intelligence into smaller airframes. Liqxtal supplied lightweight electro-optical plus thermal modules with roughly 20x optical zoom on the EO side, while iCatch provided an edge-AI vision system on chip capable of up to about 4 TOPS (tera operations per second). The combined system emphasizes on-device image processing, real-time object detection and tracking, and electronic image stabilization for high-dynamic flights.
The hardware is presented with standard interfaces such as USB3.0 and Ethernet to ease integration across a range of drone platforms. That combination of physical interfaces and on-board compute reduces reliance on high-bandwidth links to ground stations and allows latency-sensitive tasks to run directly on the aircraft. For aerial photography, the zoom-capable EO optics plus EIS promise steadier, longer-range shots from fast-moving rigs. For security, surveillance, and industrial inspection the thermal channel and on-device AI enable automated detection and tracking of heat signatures, defects, or people without continuous remote processing.
Practical value for builders and small teams is straightforward. Verify interface compatibility with your flight controller or companion computer and plan power and weight budgets around a module that pairs optics, thermal sensing, and an AI SoC. Expect lower data-transmission needs because detection and initial filtering happen on board, and expect smoother footage during aggressive maneuvers thanks to EIS tuned for high dynamics. For FPV pilots chasing cinematic footage or integrators building inspection platforms, this package narrows the gap between industrial systems and advanced hobby rigs.
This appearance at CES signals accelerating availability of compact, high-performance imaging modules with integrated AI. As vendors continue to shrink optics and increase edge compute, anticipate more off-the-shelf modules that bolt into custom frames or companion compute stacks, enabling smarter autonomous capabilities and richer data collection without requiring heavy ground-based infrastructure. Verify software and driver support for your stack early, and factor the added capabilities into mission planning, battery management, and payload mounting.
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