Airobotics

Overview

Summary

Airobotics is a provider of drone automation solutions for aerial data collection. It offers drones for surveying, mapping, inspections, security, and emergency response. The company caters to seaports, industrial facilities, and the mining industry. Airobotics has developed an end-to-end, fully automatic solution that enables clients to run missions with no human intervention. The solution consists of three parts: an automated drone, a robotic docking station, and a cloud-based software platform. Airobotics aims to improve operational efficiency, safety, and decision making by providing high-quality aerial data and insights.

Industry

Airobotics falls under a few different categories, but for the sake of aligning it with its appropriate competitors on Defining Drones, we place it under Hardware & Manufacturing. This is due to Airobotics being an early mover in the drone-in-a-box concept. 

Country of Origin

Airobotics was founded and has its headquarters in Israel.

Country of Operations

It operates in several countries across different regions. Some of the countries where Airobotics has clients or offices are:

Australia: It has an office in Perth and serves clients in the mining industry.

US: It has an office in Scottsdale, Arizona and serves clients in various industries.

Singapore: It has an office in Singapore and serves clients in the seaport industry.

UAE: It has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai Police to provide drone-in-a-box infrastructure and aerial defensive solutions.

Chile: It has partnered with Rockwell Automation to provide automated drone solutions for mining operations.

Age

Airobotics was founded in 2014 and has been in operation for 9 years.

Size

Airobotics has about 97 employees according to their LinkedIn page. The company has seen some steady growth in its lifetime.

Founders of Airobotics

Airobotics was co-founded by Meir Kliner and Ran Krauss. 

Meir Kliner is the CEO and co-founder of Airobotics. He has over 20 years of experience in aerospace system development, manufacturing, and product design. He holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Ben Gurion University and an MBA from Tel Aviv University. He is also a licensed pilot and a former officer in the Israeli Air Force. He is available on LinkedIn.

Ran Krauss is the president and co-founder of Airobotics. He is a serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in the drone industry. He founded two previous drone companies: ParaZero, which provides parachute systems for drones, and Bladeworx, which offers drone services and training. He holds a B.Sc. in industrial engineering from Ben Gurion University and an MBA from IDC Herzliya. He is available on LinkedIn.

Chief Pilot

According to LinkedIn, the Director of Operations US at Airobotics is Roi Miron, who was also the Head of Flight Operations & Chief Pilot, APAC.

Roi Miron LinkedIn Profile

I could not find any information about the current Chief Pilot of Airobotics, but I did find a profile of Shalev Fallach, who is listed as the Chief Pilot at Airobotics on Crunchbase.
Shalev Fallach LinkedIn Profile

Competitive Edge

• First-mover advantage in the case of fully autonomous, self-sufficient systems. The phrase ‘drone-in-a-box’ has since been coined and widely adopted. 

• It provides an end-to-end, fully automatic solution that does not require any human intervention or piloting skills. The drone can autonomously take off, fly, land, and recharge in a robotic docking station.

• It offers a cloud-based software platform that allows clients to easily plan, manage, and analyze missions and data. The platform also provides advanced analytics and insights using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

• It has a strong focus on industrial applications and serves clients in various sectors such as mining, seaports, oil and gas, utilities, and construction.

Aircraft

Optimus is a drone that can autonomously transport payloads with Flight Range of upto 8Km/16Km and a Flight Time of about 40 Mins. It can be deployed from a mobile base station that can recharge and swap batteries. Optimus can also perform aerial inspections, mapping, and surveillance. It is powered by Airobotics’ software platform that enables remote control, data analysis, and integration with other systems. 

Drone can be used for multiple purpose:

• 2D/3D Mapping
• Laser Scanning (LIDAR)
• Dual EO/IR Video
• Aerial Delivery

Source Link

Technology

• A robotic arm that can swap batteries and payloads on the drone automatically within seconds.

• A patented design that allows the drone to fold its propellers during landing and docking.

• A cloud-based platform that enables users to access real-time data and insights from the drone missions.

• An artificial intelligence system that enables the drone to navigate autonomously and avoid obstacles using computer vision and machine learning.

• A counter-drone system (Iron Drone) that can detect, track, and intercept malicious drones using an interceptor drone launched from a pod. For more information on Iron Drone – Link

Approvals

On March 2017, Airobotics wins Civil Aviation Authority of Israel approval to fly automated drones without pilot. Source

Growth

Airobotics has experienced significant growth since its inception in 2014. The company has raised over $123 million in funding from various investors, including Microsoft, OurCrowd, BlueRun Ventures, and Pavilion Capital. The company has also expanded its global presence and customer base, serving clients in various industries, such as BHP, Rio Tinto, South32, Intel, Israel Chemicals, and the Singapore Police Force. 

The company has also received several awards and recognitions for its innovation and excellence, such as the Edison Award, the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award, and the Frost & Sullivan Global New Product Innovation Award.

Funding

Information via Crunchbase

Social Stats (Social Media Numbers)

Facebook – 2.8K Followers

Instagram – 924 Followers

Twitter – 5867 Followers

LinkedIn – 16.4K Followers

YouTube – 1.7K Followers

But wait, there’s more!

Airobotics is only one of the pioneers in this evolving industry. Click here to check out our full list of companies leading the way!