Everdrone patent allows its drone to avoid buildings and trees

Everdrone has just announced it has been awarded a patent that will allow its life-saving drone to fly in complex airspace using an array of sensors. The European Patent Office (EPO) office granted Everdrone the patent which uses vision technology to avoid obstacles such as buildings or trees when flying low to the ground.

To ensure the obstacle avoidance technology is working correctly, the drone compares the camera footage with other sensors to ensure all systems are working correctly and detecting obstacles.

Mats Sällström, CEO of Everdrone shared:

“We’re thrilled about the approval of Everdrone’s first patent. This patent demonstrates our commitment to safety and strengthens our position as a leader and innovator in the industry. This is one of several patents we’re working towards to continue driving our primary mission of saving lives.”

Everdrone recently announced it will expand its life-saving service to Denmark after an agreement was reached with the Copenhagen Emergency Medical Services to come on-board as a research partner to work alongside the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

The company also received €350,000 (~ $414,000) from the Eurostars-2 Joint Program and co-funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program for the work the company is doing.

How Everdrone’s deliveries work

Once an emergency call comes in, dispatchers send both a drone and an ambulance. The drone will usually arrive before the ambulance. It lowers the defibrillator with a winch from a height of 30 meters (about 98 feet). AEDs are designed to be used by anyone. And the hope is that someone on-site can use the device if paramedics are delayed in getting to the scene. Speed is crucial, as survival rates shoot up to 70% if a patient receives help within the first few minutes.

Everdrone’s drone is equipped with an Intel-based RealSense obstacle avoidance system and intelligent route planning to improve efficiency. A parachute system ensures the drone will land safely in the event of a mishap. As the drone in the video below looks to be a DJI Matrice 600 Pro, it also comes with DJI’s safety features. These include triple IMU and GPS redundancy, low voltage protection, smart return to home, and motor fault detection, which allows it to land safely, even if it’s missing a propeller.

Photo: Everdrone