Mexican Drone Firm Teams Up With LoJack

A dynamic drone duo is rising in Mexico City. Homegrown UAV startup Dronix has teamed up with well-known automotive/anti-theft company LoJack.

Here’s the plan: Dronix will deploy a swarm of drones to patrol Mexico City. Whenever a LoJack-equipped auto is stolen, a radio signal will be sent by the anti-theft equipment in the car to the nearest drone which can then swoop in, photograph and follow the errant vehicle.

Once a stolen vehicle’s location is triangulated, LoJack staff would work with local police to recover it and hopefully nab the thief.

Locating stolen vehicles in Mexico City can be tough. According to government statistics, less than half of all stolen vehicles are recovered. Since a city ordinance also requires vehicles to stay off the road once a week due to air pollution reduction programs, finding a stolen car becomes an even more elusive goal.

However, LoJack Mexico director Leonardo Contreras and Dronix CEO Federico Gonzalez want to turn the tables on car thieves.

“Drones are a big technological advancement,” the duo said in a press statement.  “Through our alliance with LoJack, we are seeking to improve the process of retrieving vehicles while improving security for personnel,” Gonzalez added. The two firms are now testing the anti-theft system and hope to release is soon.

The Dronix-LoJack partnership is yet another example of a growing wave of drone innovation in Mexico.

The nation’s limited airspace regulations, combined with a growing manufacturing and aerospace industry, makes Mexico prime territory for UAV expansion. Jose Luis Gonzalez, CEO of Unmanned Systems, opened a drone academy last year in Mexico City and began offering a nine-hour course. Fifty drone pilots graduated the program in less than a year.

Another Mexican startup, Unmanned Systems Technology International, released a drone in 2015 known as MX-1, which is being marketed as “a proudly Mexican aircraft backed by thousands of hours of conceptualization, design, prototyping and flight tests,” according to its website. The MX-1 drone can allegedly fly for up to seven consecutive hours and reach a cruising speed of 68 mph. Other companies such as 3D Robotics are also fabricating drones in Mexico.