Auterion is the software platform enabling unified robotic workforces and counts GE Aviation, Freefly Systems, Quantum System, Avy and Watts Innovations as customers. Its hardware and software solutions are based on global open standards.
They include an operating system for drones, a cloud-based suite for device and flight data analytics and Skynode, an advanced avionics module for BVLOS flights.
Connected Operating System
Auterion’s Connected Operating System provides a complete drone software platform that connects all of the components and features of a connected UAV. This includes the flight controller and mission computer, LTE connectivity for real-time data transfer, and cloud services. The system enables manufacturers to build unique and competitive solutions while accelerating the deployment of global standards for safe, integrated drone operations at scale.
This state-of-the-art solution ensures easy and safe enterprise drone fleet and operation management and supports a wide variety of applications, from energy and utilities inspection to search and rescue and first responders, cargo delivery and logistics, and precision agriculture. The Suite, accessed via web browser, is constantly synchronized with Auterion Enterprise PX4 on the drone and with Auterion Mission Control on the ground, providing intuitive dashboard widgets for insightful visualizations and automated tasks that accelerate your workflow.
The Suite allows UAV operators to plan missions from anywhere in the world using the same software, reducing training time and resources for new hires and increasing consistency of execution. This is accomplished through the suite’s sharable live video, map integration with Airmap for airspace and UTM information, and flight instrumentation with mission logs that can be viewed instantly from a browser-based interface. Additionally, the Suite enables users to quickly validate collected data through its remote operations dashboards and powerful APIs.
Autonomous Computing
The operating system for unified robotic workforces
The Auterion OS is the platform that powers a growing number of enterprise drone and robot fleets. It’s designed to shift to network-centric operations for autonomous systems, enabling new levels of agility and efficiency. The OS connects a wide range of hardware, software and services for safer mission execution and data transfer, simplifies workflows with APIs, supports LTE connectivity, and ensures security and privacy through onboard encryption.
Our customers are using the Auterion OS to conduct a variety of tasks, from routine inspections to more complex projects in utilities, critical infrastructure and manufacturing. Recently, C2 Group, a full-service program, project and construction management firm, used an Auterion-powered Vantage Robotics Vesper to perform an inspection of the power lines at its UAS testing facility.
The survey also revealed that 59% of respondents think that drones can make their companies more profitable, and 62% believe that they can make them safer by reducing risk to human life. The survey was conducted in 2023 and surveyed 1,017 people from the United States working in accounting, engineering/construction, technology, retail/e-commerce, education, healthcare, finance, HR, IT/security, operations, sales/marketing and food service. The survey’s complete report is available here.
Skynode
As the drone industry moves toward standardized hardware and software platforms, Auterion’s new Skynode family of avionics modules accelerates the speed at which manufacturers can deliver enterprise-ready drones. Based on the requirements of Pixhawk, the open-source flight autopilot standard, Skynode is a complete package that includes a flight controller and mission computer as well as wireless networking (LTE and Wi-Fi) built into one module.
It’s the first-of-its-kind reference design, giving drone manufacturers a fast track to an enterprise-grade offering and allowing app developers to build on top of it with their own features. For example, ModalAI’s VOXL2, a flight processor that runs on Auterion OS and works with a range of drones, can be used with Skynode to provide a unified experience for drone operators with a single operating system for the entire fleet.
Similarly, AI Node is designed to run on Skynode and seamlessly integrate with the rest of the Auterion open ecosystem. It leverages NVIDIA Jetson Xavier, the world’s smallest AI supercomputer for embedded and edge systems, to process sensor data from sensors on drones to enable advanced onboard artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
It’s also a perfect solution for drone manufacturers looking to build NDAA-compliant drones. With the US government’s ban on Chinese-made technology and talks of potential data privacy concerns, it has become a priority for drone manufacturers to offer NDAA compliant solutions that are made in the USA with western-made components. Skynode, combined with Maxon’s drone motor integration, provides a complete solution for these use cases.
AI Node
Auterion’s cutting-edge operating system empowers a diverse range of autonomous robots to perform high-risk to mundane tasks, deliver goods, and aid in life-saving missions. Our industry-leading software drives the adoption of drone fleets, and is recognized by the U.S. Government as the future standard for their Blue sUAS program.
Auterion’s AI Node adds supercomputer performance to Skynode, empowering drones with the power to process data onboard and respond to it instantly with edge AI. Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX system-on-module, it delivers six TFLOPS at FP16 and 21 TOPS at INT8, while consuming less than 15W. This makes it ideal for running compute-heavy AI algorithms like object recognition, tracking or counting.
Combined with Skynode, the AI Node platform enables enterprise drones to be safe from ground control and perform beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) autonomous flight. This enables enterprises to automate critical tasks and enable a whole new class of applications.
The AI Node hardware is available as an off-the-shelf unit from Auterion or as a reference design for OEMs to create their own form factor. It seamlessly integrates with Skynode and the entire Auterion open ecosystem, delivering a consistent user experience and offering an optimal developer workflow. The solution also supports long-endurance batteries, making it the perfect choice for enabling the full range of drone functionality required by enterprises.
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