The annual Germany iF Design Awards (hereafter referred to as the iF Awards) is one of the most important accolades around the technology world, representing the highest level of design in various fields.

The XIRO XPLORER from Shenzhen Zero-Tech came on top of 5295 other entries and won the iF Award for 2016. This is the fifth international design award since the Xplorer went public.

The iF Design Award is one of the world's most recognised technology design honours, often known as the ‘Oscar' of the design industry alongside the Red Dot Award in Germany, IDEA in the USA and the G-Mark Award in Japan – collectively known as the four major industry design awards.

“Independent, rigorous and reliable” are the key ideas around iF, as in order to win, the product needs to be excelling in its respective category and leading the design trend.

The features about the Xplorer that particularly stood out were it's sleek, fashionable and clean-cut appearance along with the smart and stabilised flight control system. It shows the strong ability of Shenzhen Zero-Tech in not only innovation but also the ability to surprise worldwide consumers.

However, it was perhaps no surprise for people who are already familiar with the Shenzhen Zero-Tech brand and the Xplorer. Since October 2015 it has already won the G-Mark Award, the Golden Pin Design Award, the Red Star Design Award and the DFA Award consecutively.

Drones becoming more popular

The UAV industry is undoubtedly becoming more and more popular, for both consumers and companies in the industry, but the real strength of the newcomers isn't proven.

Xiro design director Xinshui Huang mentioned in an interview after receiving the G-Mark award that Shenzen Zero-Tech begain designing and manufacturing drones in 2007 and in this time has accumulated many technology advantages. Their real strength lies in focusing more on user requests and problems rather than producing a one-size-fits-all model.

Distinct and recognisable design

The Xplorer is a very good-looking machine – Xinshui affirms that it is inspired by the F-117 stealth combat fighter. With angular section design and sophisticated painting, it gives a feeling of science fiction.

In this era where there is a constant pursuit for individuality, the Xplorer certainly stands out.

Beautiful, but practical

Good design should not only look good, but also actually work. Prior to the Xplorer, most UAV devices used an integrated design, which meant that if there was a problem even to the smallest part, then the entire drone would have to be sent back for maintenance – and both maintenance time and costs are very high.

The designers at Shenzen Zero-Tech looked into this and eventually came up with an innovative modular design which enables the gimbal, batteries, flight control and other parts to be dismounted and replaced quickly and easily.

Similar to what we saw with the smartphone market, the drone industry has exploded with popularity. Out of a growing number of brands, Shenzen Zero-Tech stands out as the most distinctive, as they lead in research and development and hold a number of global awards.

The recently received iF Award once again reinforces Shenzen Zero-Tech's excellence in drone design, and following this trend, we can expect much more innovation (and awards) from them in the future.