New Drones Will Advance “Human and Machine Collaboration”: XTEND and ModalAI Partner

Drones of the future may be operated by the movement of the pilot’s body.  XTEND Partners with ModalAI to Advance Human and Machine Collaboration

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by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Today, human-guided autonomous operating system developer XTEND announced a multi-layered partnership with leading Blue UAS Framework drone manufacturer ModalAI, Inc. As per the partnership, XTEND will make its XOS operating system available on ModalAI’s technology, while XTEND’s human-guided autonomous drones will incorporate ModalAI’s VOXL® 2 Autonomous AI Autopilot.

XTEND’s Operating System (XOS) offers an easy to deploy operating system for drones and robots, allowing any connected device to benefit from XOS’s application ecosystem. Its app store is open to third-party developers and lets users run 3rd party applications on their devices, including apps that are able to control a drone’s position and extract data, control payloads, or inspect oil and gas infrastructure.

“XOS is operational across the World and enables anyone to easily connect and interact with drones and robotics devices remotely, without the need for prior knowledge or training. Allowing operators to move, see, interact with devices precisely, intuitively, and immersively. We believe that XOS will become the operating system of choice for anyone who is looking to maximize the potential of their drones and robotic systems, while decreasing the risks posed to their teams’ lives, or concerns around lack of human oversight,” said XTEND co-founder and CTO Rubi Liani. “Not only does our partnership with ModalAI supercharge the capabilities of their drone and robotics hardware; but our own range of revolutionary human-guided autonomous drones will now benefit from the extraordinary capabilities of ModalAI’s Next Generation VOXL® 2 Autonomous AI Autopilot. We envision a very fruitful collaboration with ModalAI and see them as a perfect partner, as we extend operations into public safety, security, inspection, and other civilian markets.”

ModalAI’s VOXL® 2 Blue UAS Framework autopilot condenses autonomous capabilities from an onboard companion computer, PX4 flight controller and advanced AI up to 15+ TOPS. Powered by the Qualcomm QRB5165 processor, the 16g VOXL® 2 was designed to reduce autonomous UAV development time by more than half. With pre-integrated flight hardware and software, VOXL® 2 allows developers to speed up the R&D phase of product development to more quickly begin developing their own custom UAVs.

“We are very excited that XTEND has selected VOXL® 2 to power their fleet of autonomous drones,” said ModalAI CEO and co-founder Chad Sweet. “VOXL® 2 was created to reduce UAV developer’s time to market, so we are thrilled about XTEND’s progress in launching VOXL® 2-powered drones. The impact of autonomous ISR is increasing daily, and we can’t wait to see how XTEND’s XOS and drone fleet will modernise mission critical applications.”

XTEND and ModalAI are both part of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue UAS Framework, advancing commercial technology in order to provide drone users with reliable and sophisticated UAV capabilities.

Read more:

• XTEND Human Guided Autonomous Drones Achieve Full NDAA Compliance
• XTEND Partners with SightX on XOS, the Human-Guided Autonomous Operating System
• XTEND Acquires Drone Inspection Specialist Performance Rotors
• Operating a Drone Fleet with a Wave of the Hand: XTEND Wins Israeli Defense Contract for Human-Guided Multi-Drone Operating System
• XTEND Funding: $20 Million Raise for Human-Guided, AI-Operated Drone System

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.