Sentera, the industry-leading provider of ag analytics, today announced that it has been awarded a patent for its innovative pitot tube assembly, which is used on its fixed-wing drone, the PHX.
Pitot tubes are common within the aviation industry, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs). The rigid design of many of these do not lend well to the role of UAVs, particularly within agriculture where missions take place in fields. Landings may take place in areas that damage traditional pitot tubes, due to their placement and rigidity.
“In designing our pitot tube, we focused on creating an assembly that brings a flexible design together with durability and usability,” said Matt Skelton, aerospace engineer, Sentera. “Our patented pitot tube technology was designed with our customer in mind – ensuring that the design doesn’t impede airspeed measurements while making it easy to calibrate, replace, and repair so not to constrain our pilots during their busiest times of the year.”
While it can be used for any UAV, Sentera’s pitot tube was designed for the PHX. As the leading fixed-wing drone on the market for agricultural mapping and imaging applications, the PHX can capture acreage three times faster than multirotor drones. In doing so, it empowers users to scout full fields with complete visibility across acreage. And, when paired with Sentera’s Double 4K, generate insights like Stand Count, Crop Health, and Tassel Count.
“We’re excited to continue to drive innovation ahead for the UAV agricultural market,” said Skelton. “Because of the unique challenges that pilots in our industry face, we are committed to continuing to extend the usability of the PHX to help our customers maximize every season.”
For more information about the pitot tube and the Sentera PHX, visit https://www.sentera.com.
About Sentera
Sentera helps agronomic leaders maximize every season as the industry-leading provider of ag analytics. With its data science ecosystem, powered by machine learning, Sentera delivers more reliable and scalable plant-level measurements to maximize performance outcomes, which can be informed by aerial imagery captured by Sentera’s drone technology solutions or services. Operating in more than 45 countries, Sentera works with hundreds of customers focused on research, product development, and in-field product validation. For more information, visit https://www.sentera.com.
A combination of Performance Rotors’ industry-leading drones and robotics, and XTEND’s award-winning XOS operating system, will make human-guided, remote interactive operations possible in a range of industrial inspection scenarios, including GPS-denied, unsafe, or confined spaces.
XTEND – the developer of XOS, a human-guided autonomous operating system that is revolutionizing ‘human to machine’ interaction, has acquired Performance Rotors, the Singapore-based leading drone inspection specialists, in a move that will boost XTEND’s ability to offer human-guided, remote interactive operations in a range of inspection scenarios, and grow its global business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“Our acquisition of Performance Rotors marks the latest step in furthering XTEND’s vision of making remote interactive operations accessible to everyone, in a range of scenarios, including inspection, public safety and security,” said Aviv Shapira, co-founder, and CEO at XTEND. “Every day, people risk their lives to make our world safer. Inspection is just one area, among many, where machines, robots and drones can be used to accomplish what people can’t, in a more economical, efficient, and safer manner. We are delighted that Keith Ng, Performance Rotors’ co-founder and CEO, and his team are joining XTEND on our journey towards making XOS the operating system of choice for controlling drones, robots, vehicles, smart devices, and smart machines remotely, safely, and intuitively.”
XTEND provides revolutionary human-guided autonomous machine systems that enable any operator to perform extremely accurate manoeuvres and actions, in any environment with minimal training. XTEND’s patented XOS operating system enables effective, practical autonomy, by fusing the best of human intelligence and machine autonomy, to enhance the operator’s abilities, and simultaneously reduce the risk of injury. Allowing professionals to control drones and smart machines and carry out complex tasks that require human interaction and decision-making safety and remotely.
“Performance Rotors’s mission has always been to develop drones and robotics solutions for data acquisition in GPS-denied and confined space environments, without the risk to human lives,” said Keith Ng, co-founder, and CEO of Performance Rotors. “Our extensive client base spans many of the world’s major oil and gas, maritime and infrastructure projects, and our hardware is being used across the World, particularly in APAC. We are confident that combining XTEND’s innovation XOS software with our world-class technology brings the best of the industry together in one powerful and easy to use solution that comprehensively addresses the critical challenges facing our customers today.”
Chartered Group, who led the acquisition, is an innovative global private equity firm, which provides extraordinary global investment funds and opportunities for a greener and more digitalized world across several disciplinaries. Eyal Agmoni Chairman of Chartered Group adds: “The acquisition of Performance Rotors not only enriches XTEND’s offering in industrial inspection, but it will also enable Aviv and his team to further diversify their expertise in oil and gas, maritime and infrastructure projects, and develop XTEND’s software business globally, particularly here in APAC and Japan.”
Alongside expanding application of its easily programmable and configurable XOS operating systems into inspection, public safety, security, and other civilian markets, the XTEND team have recently been awarded several multi-million $ contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and MAFAT, the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Research & Development Directorate, to modernize their use of drone technology. In both cases, XOS is already enabling military drone operators to interactively operate multiple smart machines from a remote, safe distance, with zero training.
About XTEND and XOS:
XTEND provides revolutionary human-guided autonomous machine systems that enable any operator to perform extremely accurate manoeuvres and actions, in any environment with minimal training. The company’s patented XOS operating system fuses the best of human intelligence and machine autonomy to enhance the operator’s abilities, and simultaneously reduce the need for physical confrontation, thereby minimizing casualties and injuries. Hundreds of XTEND’s systems are already operationally deployed worldwide, and the company is continuously developing its XOS operating system and platforms to deliver the future of human-machine teaming to defense, HLS, and security professionals worldwide. Find out more here.
About Performance Rotors:
Performance Rotors develops small, smart aerial drone solutions for deployment in dangerous and challenging confined space environments, making inspection work safer, more efficient and cost effective. Its team of hardware engineers, software developers, robotics and computer vision experts has harnessed the power of custom-designed drones, AI, and data analytics to streamline operations, reduce costs, and eliminate hazards in heavy industries that is unparalleled by mainstream drones in the market. Find out more here.
Percepto, an industry-leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solutions provider, today announced receipt of an unprecedented waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The significant approval allows the company to operate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in shielded airspace, without humans onsite, and without expensive and cumbersome ground-based or airborne detect and avoid (DAA) systems, for inspection and monitoring operations at critical and non-critical infrastructure sites nationwide.
Under the waiver, low risk “shielded” BVLOS operations are authorized 200 feet above and around assets located on critical infrastructure sites. At non-critical infrastructure sites, shielded BVLOS operations are permitted 50 feet higher than the tallest obstruction located within a half-mile of the site.
This achievement for Percepto will benefit the whole industry as the industry seeks to scale true BVLOS UAS operations for inspection and monitoring, and is a crucial step in fully integrating UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS).
Percepto proactively engaged with the FAA throughout the waiver application process and demonstrated to the FAA that the company can operate BVLOS close to structures safely without costly ground based or airborne DAA systems.
The operations authorized under this approval build upon recommendations made by the UAS BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) chartered by the FAA. The ARC correctly recognized that shielded airspace near structures and other obstacles where crewed aircraft do not typically operate could be leveraged as a safety mitigation to support safe, scalable, and economically viable UAS BVLOS operations. Percepto served as a member on the BVLOS ARC.
“Percepto is very grateful to the FAA staff for their engagement and consideration of our application for this important waiver,” said Neta Gliksman, Percepto VP of Policy and Government Affairs. “This waiver will help usher in a new era of scalable UAS operations that will benefit the critical infrastructure industry immediately, and in the future, in ways we haven’t even yet imagined.”
“This waiver’s implications for BVLOS UAS operations in the United States are massive,” said Lisa Ellman, Chair of the Global UAS Practice at Hogan Lovells and Outside Counsel to Percepto. “The FAA waiver provides scalability to businesses and encourages innovation across the industry, which will yield significant benefits for critical infrastructure facilities and the American people.”
“The use of Percepto’s UAS to perform critical infrastructure inspections significantly improves worker safety and efficiency of operations by allowing inspections to occur remotely from anywhere in the United States,“ said Danny Allen, Geospatial Intelligence Supervisor at ConocoPhillips.
“The ability to conduct remote BVLOS inspections without humans supervising the system and without the need for costly DAA assets will increase the value of the Percepto system while significantly reduce costs and barriers to BVLOS operations at our critical infrastructure and industrial commercial sites nationwide,” said Tim Shanfelt, PMP, Operations Enablement Director, Koch Ag and Energy Solutions.
About Percepto
Percepto is the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets.
Listed in TIME magazine’s 100 Best Inventions of 2021, Percepto’s AIM platform fully automates visual data workflows from capture to insight, leveraging the Percepto Air drone-in-a-box portfolio, alongside other robots and visual sensors. Using advanced machine learning and AI, Percepto AIM provides an end-to-end autonomous inspection and monitoring solution to assess risk, minimize downtime, drive efficiency, increase safety and reduce operational costs.
Percepto’s solutions are trusted by Fortune 500 customers on six continents including Siemens Energy, Delek US, Koch Fertilizer and ICL Dead Sea Works. The company is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards including Edison Gold Award and Frost & Sullivan Global Enabling Technology Leadership Award.
AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American:UAVS) (“AgEagle” or the “Company”), an industry-leading provider of full stack flight hardware, sensors and software for commercial and government use, today announced that it has signed a two-year supply agreement with Wingtra AG, securing the supply of RedEdge-P™ sensor kits for integration with WingtraOne™ Vertical Take-Off and Landing (“VTOL”) drones.
Pursuant to the agreement, AgEagle has guaranteed production and delivery of RedEdge-P sensors kitted with its MicaSense Calibrated Reflectance Panel 2, RedEdge-P Lens Cover, CF Express Storage Card, CF Express Storage Card Reader, MicaSense DLS2 and MicaSense WiFi Dongle (collectively, the “RedEdge-P Sensor Kits”) to Wingtra over the next two years.
Maximilian Boosfeld, Founder and CEO of Wingtra, stated, “We have been very pleased to offer AgEagle’s MicaSense sensors as integrated payloads on our WingtraOne VTOL drones for the past several years. We believe that the combination of our WingtraOneGen II with AgEagle’s RedEdge-P provides our valued customers with the highest possible accuracy, efficiency and cost-effectiveness in their commercial drone operations. This is particularly useful for those seeking to materially benefit from unprecedented, plant-level detail and high precision resolution in their commercial agriculture, forestry, environmental research and water management applications. Add to this WingtraOne’s fast coverage even for large areas, easy setup and high accuracy data, and we now offer an all-in-one solution for a wide range of projects.”
The rugged RedEdge-P is an AgEagle sensor innovation introduced to market in late 2021, which features a high-resolution panchromatic band for pan-sharpened output resolutions of 2cm/0.8 inches at 60 meters/200 feet. It enables pixel-aligned outputs at previously unattainable resolutions while delivering optimal efficiency and reliability, opening the door to season-long comprehensive plant canopy analysis at all growth stages.
“AgEagle is very proud to have Wingtra as one of our trusted sensor integration partners which shares our same commitment to quality, performance and excellence in the products we are pioneering and to the mission of advancing the growth of the commercial unmanned aerial system (“UAS”) market. In addition to representing more than $2.0 million in new revenue to AgEagle over the next two years, this agreement supports our belief that mainstream adoption of UAS on a global scale will only be possible if the world’s leading providers of drone solutions work together to deliver technologies and capabilities that benefit commercial drone operators,” said Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle.
About Wingtra AG
Headquartered in Switzerland with offices in the United States and Croatia, Wingtra is the world’s leading VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drone producer for mining, construction and infrastructure and urban planning and land management industry professionals. Since its market entry in early 2017, Wingtra has partnered with more than a 100 of the biggest equipment dealers and has been selling mapping drones globally ever since. For more information, please visit www.wingtra.com.
About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.
Through its three centers of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com
AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.(NYSE American:UAVS) (“AgEagle” or the “Company”), an industry-leading provider of full stack flight hardware, sensors, and software for commercial and government use, today announced that the Company has won a federal contract from the U.S. Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) Defense Innovation Unit (“DIU”) to produce and deliver eBee™ VISION fixed-wing drones and customized command and control software that proves compatible and is in full compliance with the DoD Robotic and Autonomous System-Air Interoperability Profile (“RAS-A IOP”).
Through the DIU’s Commercial Solutions Opening process, it competitively solicits proposals for innovative solutions that accelerate the attainment of defence capabilities for its DoD partners. AgEagle is among a small group of BlueUAS-approved, commercial drone manufacturers awarded contracts for this project, whereby the DIU will ultimately screen, analyze and approve RAS-A compliant commercial small unmanned aerial systems (“sUAS”) for onboarding into the DoD. DIU will support these systems through a supply chain prototype analysis for NDAA compliance, cyber-vulnerability penetration testing, the United States Air Force Authority to Operate process, and the U.S. Navy Interim Flight Clearance process. Once these administrative requirements are completed, approved sUAS should no longer require “Exception to Policy” requests for DoD users to procure and use.
RAS-A IOP is a ground control link protocol that was developed to enable secure, standardized interoperability between diverse sUAS approved for use by U.S. federal government agencies, including models from different manufacturers and of different types, such as fixed-wing, rotary wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). AgEagle will support software development and integration efforts to securely connect and bridge both the eBee VISION unmanned aerial system (“UAS”) with specific government networks.
The eBee VISION is AgEagle’s latest innovation in autonomous robotics and joins the Company’s line of proven, high-performance eBee photogrammetry solutions. The eBee VISION delivers high-resolution, medium-range video imagery made possible by its 32x zoom and powerful thermal observation capabilities. Its sensor payloads are capable of detecting, tracking and geo-locating objects in both day and night conditions. Offering up to 90 minutes of flight time and the same ease of use that has earned AgEagle’s eBee line of drones industry distinction, the eBee VISION can be deployed and operated by a single person.
Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle, stated, “We are very proud to have been awarded this key government contract from the DIU in support of its mission to field and scale transformational commercial technologies across the U.S. military at commercial speed. It is a true testament to AgEagle’s historical success in developing and bringing to market highly innovative drone-enabled solutions designed to meet and exceed the needs of our customers. As global threats continue, so, too, will AgEagle works towards ensuring that our military forces are equipped with the most advanced UAS possible.”
About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.
Through its three centres of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full-stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals.
For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com
AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American: UAVS) (“AgEagle” or the “Company”), an industry-leading provider of full-stack flight hardware, sensors and software for commercial and government/defence use, today announced its introduction of the new eBee™ VISION, a small, fixed-wing unmanned aerial system (“UAS”) designed to provide real-time, enhanced situational awareness for critical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (“ISR”) missions.
Scheduled for global commercial release in 2023, the eBee VISION delivers high-resolution, medium-range video imagery made possible by its 32x zoom and powerful thermal observation capabilities. Its sensor payloads are capable of detecting, tracking and geo-locating objects in both day and night conditions. Offering up to 90 minutes of flight time and the same ease of use that has earned AgEagle’s eBee line of drones industry distinction, the eBee VISION can be deployed and operated by a single person.
Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle, stated, “We expect that our new ISR UAS will offer a great benefit to many industries and government agencies. The eBee VISION has been tailor-made to support the rapid collection of data related to the status of critical infrastructure and assets in the field. We believe this product will have a great impact on those engaged in first response, public safety, infrastructure surveillance, military and defence – for which, time is vital in critical decision-making.”
Designed, developed and manufactured by AgEagle’s research and development team in Switzerland, the eBee VISION is NDAA compliant, weighs less than 3.5 pounds/1.6 kilograms and can be carried in a backpack.
In December 2022, eBee VISION prototypes were successfully tested by European Armed Forces. According to an official from a UAV experimentation unit of a European military force present at the testing, “eBee VISION’ specifications fill the gap between low endurance quadcopters and large military fixed-wing drones. The small size, lightweight, ease-of-use, autonomy, range and sensor capabilities make it a promising drone for tactical ISR missions.”
As a result of the tests, the European military has ordered multiple eBee VISION prototypes, with delivery expected in early 2023. Commercial production of eBee VISION is planned for worldwide availability in mid-2023 worldwide. Additional demonstrations with other military forces in the United States and NATO countries are being scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.
The eBee VISION is AgEagle’s latest innovation in automatic robotics and joins the Company’s line of proven, high-performance eBee photogrammetry solutions. AgEagle continues to offer the groundbreaking eBee X, which has received notable regulatory approvals such as Operations Over People in the United States, Canada, Brazil and the European Union, and the eBee TAC, which is Blue UAS certified by the Defense Innovation Unit of the U.S. Department of Defense.
For more detailed information on the eBee VISION, pleaseclick here.
About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.
Through its three centers of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com
AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American:UAVS) (“AgEagle” or the “Company”), an industry-leading provider of full stack flight hardware, sensors and software for commercial and government/defense use, today announced that the Company’s eBee X series of fixed wing unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), including the eBee X, eBee GEO and eBee TAC, are the first and only drones on the market to comply with Category 3 of the Operations of Small Unmanned Aircraft System (“sUAS”) Over People rules published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) in March 2021.
Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle, stated, “Becoming the first and only UAS approved for OOP in the United States is expected to have material impact on AgEagle’s growth and standing as a recognized leader in the industry. It is another important testament of our commitment to providing best-in-class solutions to our commercial partners, and we are confident that this will serve as a key driver in the growth of eBee utilization in the United States. We believe it will further improve the business applications made possible by our drone platform for a wide range of commercial enterprises which stand to benefit from adoption of drones in their businesses – particularly those in industries such as insurance for assessment of storm damage, telecommunications for network coverage mapping and energy for powerline and pipeline inspections, just to name a few.”
Securing a Part 107 certificate of waiver from the FAA is a long, arduous and costly process for sUAS users. Now that the eBee has proven compliant with Category 3 of the rules, eBee drone operators no longer require an FAA waiver for OOP or Operations Over Moving Vehicles. This major milestone has been achieved by AgEagle following months of work, historic reliability review and extensive testing conducted by Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (“MAAP”) based on the Means of Compliance MAAP has developed, and which is accepted as proof of compliance by the FAA.
“Having an aircraft approved to operate over people will fundamentally change the way drone operations can be planned and conducted in the U.S.,” said Tombo Jones, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. “When the FAA published the rule, it identified a clear-cut pathway to a goal that all of us in drone integration have been working towards for a long time; this approval demonstrates that pathway is viable. Our testing reflects years of expertise that we’ve built in evaluating the risk of drone operations, and we’re proud that it could play a role in making this milestone possible.”
About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. Through its three centers of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com
Sentera, the industry-leading ag analytics platform powered by machine learning, today announced the launch of its Direct Georeferencing (DGR) System, which quickly connects to an ag drone to add high-precision location certainty to high-resolution aerial imagery.
“Drones have transformed data collection processes for agriculture,” said Ryan Nelson, chief mechanical engineer, Sentera. “With the DGR, we’re taking it one step further by eliminating inefficiencies so our customers can deliver insights faster.”
The Sentera DGR System features a tactical-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) and RTK GPS that tightly integrates with a sensor, like Sentera’s 6X Multispectral or 6X Thermal. DGR-enabled products quickly connect with compatible drones, including the DJI Matrice 300 and several MAVLINK-based platforms.
The DGR System adds high-precision geolocation information in real-time, which means fewer images are required to cover the same area. As a result, users can eliminate the need for the orthomosaic stitching process. In real-world use, drone flight times decrease by up to 60 percent, and the time to move from collection to analysis can be reduced by up to 8x.
“Many times, image stitching is just a necessary evil to assemble the data that produces a crop insight,” said Nelson. “With the DGR System, this process is eliminated – completely transforming how fast we can deliver data.”
Because image stitching is no longer required to precisely geolocate data, many analysis workflows can be accomplished right at the field edge. Where cloud-based processing is preferred, the DGR System’s dramatic reduction in data volume accelerates production rates versus current techniques.
“Efficiency in the field allows our customers to spend their time where it matters most – analyzing key crop health and performance measurements to validate outcomes and performance,” said Nelson.
More details about the DGR System and the value it provides to researchers and product developers will be shared in Sentera’s webinar on November 10, “Maximizing Ag Data Precision with the DGR System.”
Sentient global growth strategy and blue-chip partnerships demonstrate significant appetite for its industry-leading maritime ViDAR sensors
Ambitious global maritime deployment of ViDAR focus at INDO PACIFIC 2022, showcasing Australian disruptive tech pioneer and innovator Sentient Vision Systems and world debut for ViDAR Surface
INDO PACIFIC 2022 – Sydney, Australia [Sentient Vision Systems: Booth # 4C16]: date: 10 May 2022 – Sentient Vision Systems’ rollout of award-winning sensor software products and announcements of contract awards across the maritime domain place the company in an enviable position to dominate the SAR (Search and Rescue) and the passive ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) market. INDO PACIFIC has been chosen by Sentient to launch Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled ViDAR Surface – a next-generation surface lookout providing a day and night autonomous ocean surface surveillance.
Using advanced AI, ViDAR Surface can autonomously and efficiently detect, track, classify, and filter hundreds of objects and assists the operator to focus on the targets of interest, both during normal and high threat scenarios. This scalable and cost-effective solution is available in a self-contained pod. ViDAR Surface is designed for real-time situational awareness and has the ability to detect ships, stealthy boats, small boat swarms, buoys, persons in the water, and aircraft. It can be deployed with a range of shore-based and maritime surface platforms, either crewed or uncrewed.
According to Paul Harris, Director of Business Development, Sentient Vision Systems, “the unrelenting line up of contract awards, customer demonstrations, backed by our heavyweight investment in R&D, exemplified by ViDAR Surface” places the Melbourne- headquartered innovator in pole position to grow markets as well as its share of these markets.
“We are determined to remain the key driver of this technology set and its various applications across civilian and defence markets,” adds Harris.
The flagship products include Kestrel software for land and maritime surveillance and ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging), which is the world’s first passive Optical Radar.
Key recent ViDAR milestones include:
Selected for a $2.1 million Australian government grant to establish a sovereign in-house manufacturing facility for its world-leading ViDAR search and surveillance pods. Sentient grant was selected under the Australian government’s Department of Industry Science Energy and Resources’ (DISER) Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) Translation Stream. Once implemented, it will enable volume manufacture in Australia of the company’s ViDAR pods for Australian and export customers. “Winning this grant is an important step for Sentient Vision Systems,” said Sentient Vision Systems Managing Director and founder, Dr Paul Boxer. “We’ve been developing software-based AI surveillance systems for nearly two decades. We’ll soon be able to manufacture our own hardware in larger quantities as well whilst maintaining control over their quality and supply for critical surveillance and safety missions.”
Dutch Caribbean territories Coast Guard: ViDAR will be integrated on new lease helicopters and current patrol aircraft for aerial reconnaissance duties and search and rescue. Canadian Company PAL Aerospace Ltd and the Dutch Jet Support B.V., will carry forward the extended contract for the Dash-8 patrol aircraft. The two new SAR helicopters will be delivered by the UK’s Bristow Helicopters Limited. With both contracts, the Coast Guard will future proof for the coming ten years of aircraft with high-quality sensors and means of communication with Sentient solutions at the core.
Sentient Vision Systems has been selected for a Foreign Comparative Technology (FCT) test by the U.S. Department of Defense to provide ViDAR Maritime systems for integration and evaluation for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). The ViDAR systems will be used for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, integrated into a medium-altitude long-range unmanned aerial system operated by the USMC. It will be used to gather intelligence and enhance situational awareness during amphibious operations.
Announced at the Dubai Airshow, the UAE was showcased as the world launchpad for the ViDAR SCAR (Self Contained Aerial Reconnaissance) Pod debuting the AW-139 day/night pod. The UAE was selected as the airborne AI sensor centre of excellence for aircraft integration in collaboration with Austrian based Airborne Technologies GmbH and UAE and UK Aircraft Integration Specialist company Phoenix Aerospace.
In Q4 2021, the Special Mission Aircraft Division of Austrian aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft undertook a series of demonstrations of a new surveillance and Search and Rescue (SAR) capability, based on its DA42 twin-engine light aircraft, the DA42 MPP. In a remarkable turn of events, during its demonstration program off the Belgian coast, this aircraft was tasked at very short notice with a live SAR mission over the North Sea to rescue 24 migrants who were adrift for 48 hours, which it completed successfully and very quickly. Its success was due largely to its sensor payload including the ViDAR VMS-5 surveillance pod.
Helicopter prime contractor and mission system integrator Lockheed Martin has integrated some top-level aspects of ViDAR in an MH-60R as a prototype fit to demonstrate this cutting-edge Australian capability. Lockheed Martin will work with Sentient to explore and further evolve the capability of the ViDAR system. A successful trial could see this Australian ISR system integrated with the sensor suite on the MH-60R Seahawk, which is also operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
“Backed by the recent $2.1 Australian Sovereign MMI grant funding, Sentient has substantial capabilities in the domestic manufacturing space, augmented by strong relationships including integration and MRO across North America, Europe and the Middle East with international aviation partners,” added Paul Harris.
Sentient is a leading developer of Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence software solutions for defence and civilian projects. Since 1999 the company has specialised in imagery analysis, building practical solutions that automatically detect and track small moving objects over land or small objects on the surface of the ocean. Actively used in the field of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), the solutions enhance situational awareness and support strategic decisions.
ArduPilot is the industry-leading, fully featured, reliable open-source autopilot software for a large variety of hardware vendors. And now, the software can be used to operate AIRLink by Sky-Drones Technologies, the most advanced autopilot hardware available to date.
ArduPilot provides its users with a large variety of hardware options both open and closed. Source code that has been created by a diverse team of engineers, computer scientists and community contributors has allowed this organisation to progress leaps and bounds since its incorporation in 2010 with ever-changing elements and added features constantly occurring.
This free-to-use and fully customisable software is an autopilot system supporting many vehicle types including multi-copters, traditional helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, boats, and more.
Just like Sky-Drones’ GCS, ArduPilot’s Mission Planner can be used for mission and flight planning, single or multiple drone flights simultaneously, and tracking and recording flight logs for replay and analytics. With this partnership, Sky-Drones AIRLink users can take all the advantages from AIRLink and work using the established software ArduPilot to utilise the very best of what both organisations have to offer.
AIRLink by Sky-Drones is the cutting edge 3-in-1 drone avionics unit. Installed on your drone, AIRLink operates as an autopilot for the entire drone fleet, an AI mission computer with the capability of object recognition and target tracking, and an LTE connectivity link to employ 3G/4G/5G. Sky-Drones saw a need in the market to make it easier for enterprise UAV organisations to enter the UAV industry and begin their own economy-advancing venture.
This is where AIRLink thrives within the market and where Sky-Drones have first-hand experience in taking the time to market for enterprise businesses from years and months down to mere weeks.
Now the latest advancement for Sky-Drones is its addition to the select number of hardware vendors available using ArduPilot’s software. Seen as a trusted and versatile means to operate multiple vehicles in an abundance of industries, ArduPilot and Sky-Drones have partnered to integrate their cutting-edge products to the wider world of users.
For more information on what this industry movement means, how it can affect and help you, or to learn more about ArduPilot and Sky-Drones AIRLink, contact Sky-Drones Technologies here today [ https://sky-drones.com/contact-us ]
