On April 10, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that Switzerland’s Fotokite was the winner of the $1 million grand prize from Round II of the Genius NY accelerator.
Fotokite has created a “kite-like tethered drone system” by combining aerial and ground-based robotics with patented flight control algorithms. Using the tether, the system can fly for 24-hours fully autonomously.
“This is tremendous support from the Genius NY program and CenterState CEO and a total game changer for Fotokite,” says Chris McCall, CEO of Fotokite.
Startups
Startups
LiDAR sensor developer Ouster announces $27 million series A fundraise
A company called Ouster that is developing LiDAR sensors for autonomous vehicles has announced a $27 million series A fundraise led by Cox Enterprises.
Ouster would like to provide an affordable alternative to more expensive LiDAR sensors, so the company has developed its first product, a 64-channel LiDAR sensor called OS1, which will be priced at $12,000.
Ouster says that besides being a more affordable option in comparison to its competition, OS1 is also “dramatically lighter, smaller, and uses less power than other competitors.”
Cyient to host India's first UAV hackathon
A company called Cyient, which provides engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, network, and operations management services to global industry leaders, has announced that it will host India’s first UAV hackathon, Hackadrone 2018.
Hackadrone 2018, which is being organized by Cyient and DJI, in sponsorship with Microsoft and the Government of Telangana, is open to tech students, independent software programmers, developers and start-ups who are interested in developing innovative commercial and industrial technologies using the latest UAV technology.
AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2018
This premier event unites the largest global community of drone, intelligent robotics and unmanned systems leaders to shape the future of the industry. Featuring the largest and most comprehensive trade show, this event is the spot to learn from daily keynotes with tech visionaries and 200+ world-class sessions as well as connect with 8,500+ industry pros and business experts from 20+ industries.
www.xponential.org