Walmart-backed drone delivery operator DroneUp is joining forces with Israel-based FlightOps to scale up its operations and fly multiple drones in shared airspace from anywhere on the globe.
FlightOps calls its drone operating system (OS) the “Android” of the air mobility market. The solution works by installing robotic software onboard any type of commercial drone. This OS allows the drone to make autonomous decisions, negating the need for manual planning, and minimizes the dependency on communications with human operators.
FlightOps uses 4G and 5G networks to break the range barriers and enable BVLOS flights. But even in an extreme no-comms situation, the platform can leverage its smart algorithms to optimize flight routes and avoid air and ground obstacles, no-fly zones, and other airspace restrictions. It can also deconflict multiple flight missions that are being operated in shared airspace.
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At the same time, the drone OS keeps a tab on the energy consumption as well as the return home route, ensuring that a drone delivery mission is completed safely with no risk of running out of battery juice.
All these are capabilities that will serve DroneUp well as it helps Walmart to expand drone delivery services to a potential of 4 million households across six US states. As FlightOps CEO Shay Levy puts it:
Using the FlightOps OS, our customers can fly more missions over longer distances with increased safety and reduced costs. Our technology will enable the vision of drone deliveries as a last-mile solution, with great scale and reduced cost of operations. We anticipate that our software license fees from the delivery segment to exceed $2 million in 2022 and $10 million in 2023.
Read more: North Dakota to test 6 new BVLOS drone cases this summer
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