Research focus helps Chinese firm gain an edge in domestic, global markets, reports Qiu Quanlin in Shenzhen, Guangdong.

It took just nine years for DJI Technology Co to develop from a small company of six people to a global leader in the manufacturing of drones, with more than 3,000 employees.

In 2006, the Shenzhen-based firm, which now makes commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles, as drones are officially known, was just making vehicles without moving cameras.