Industrial scale deforestation destroys 26 billion trees each year, and while there are a number of initiatives — such as Supply Change and The Rainforest Connection — aiming to lessen this number, startup BioCarbon Engineering is concentrating its efforts on damage control by pioneering drone reforestation.
Startups dealing in the world of Drones have been given a boost today with the news that Sky-Futures, which flies drones around oil rigs and gas pipelines, has raised $3.87m (£2.5m) in a Series A from London-based venture fund MMC Ventures. The funding is believed to be Europe’s largest ever drone investment to date.
Microsoft’s Windows operating system had a vital role in turning the personal computer into a ubiquitous technology. Jonathan Downey hopes his company Airware will play a similar part in the development of commercial drones.
The startup today launched a control system for drone makers to bundle with their small aircraft. It is intended to speed up the development of drone hardware and services that rely on drones, since it would free manufacturers or their customers from having to develop their own autopilots or flight planning software. Other companies will be able to build additional software to run on top of Airware’s system, adding features such as data collection options for a particular industry.
Companies across a wide range of industries, from mining to oil and gas exploration to surveying and mapping could have an easier time than ever before integrating drones into their businesses thanks to a new end-to-end hardware, software, and cloud services operating system for drones.
Known as the Aerial Information Platform, the system from San Francisco’s Airware is meant to give enterprises a clear path to using drones regardless of the type of mission or level of expertise they have.
Last November, when GE invested in the drone technology company Airware, Alex Tepper, managing director at GE Ventures, said his company wanted to be part of the commercial drone space and “help it grow.”
He’s made good on that promise. Airware said today that GE became the first large enterprise customer for its brand new “operating system for commercial drones” called the Aerial Information Platform (AIP).
Drones have a vast range of potential uses in construction, real estate and elsewhere, but the devices themselves are still expensive and require experience to use safely and effectively. We have already seen a number of companies such as Kitsplit and Lumoid adding drones to their repertoire of rentable equipment for those who cannot afford, or do not need to purchase one outright. Now, DroneBase takes it a step further, enabling commercial clients to hire a local drone and an experienced drone pilot at the push of a button.
The largest U.S. maker of lightweight, multi-rotor drones and unmanned aerial systems is looking to substantially expand its commercial business—targeting companies that want to use drones to inspect railways, monitor construction sites, and for all sorts of other things.
Echodyne, a secretive Seattle-area startup company backed by investors including Bill Gates and Paul Allen, is developing a novel, high-performance radar suitable for drones, robots, and self-driving cars. The technology could potentially allow such vehicles to operate independently in a range of conditions.
Un drone développé par la société Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd, dirigé par Kenzo Nonami, professeur de robotique de l'université de Chiba au Japon, a effectué son premier vol le 20 février.
Berkeley, CA-based 3D Robotics has raised $50 million in a Series C funding round led by Qualcomm, the San Diego wireless industry giant.
The two companies plan to work together to combine 3D Robotics’ drones with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, which power sensors, wireless communication, and cameras.
