American Robotics, a below visible line of sight (BVLOS) drone company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Ondas Networks (NASDAQ: ONDS), has received FAA approval for adding seven additional sites to its network, improving its portfolio to 10 locations.
These stations will allow the company to deploy its industrial automated drone technology, the Scout System, without operators on site. In spring 2021, American Robotics became the first company approved by the FAA to fly a drone autonomously, requiring no human pilot interface or line of sight observation from the ground.
With sites in locations across eight U.S. states associated with current and expected customers, the company says its effort will allow the autonomous commercial drone industry to gain scale. The new sites were added to American Robotics’ existing waiver and exemption package, permitting automated BVLOS operations without human operators on-site. Flights are allowed under 400 feet within the operational area defined by each site.
In a statement, American Robotics co-founder and CEO Reese Mozer said, “American Robotics is excited to have seven additional sites of operation approved by the FAA. As we continue to build upon our offerings, we look forward to providing current and future customers with the tools to unlock scalable, autonomous drone operations that will help propel their businesses and critical industries forward.”
How it Works
Everything is automated, from landing to charging to data processing. Once installed, Scout systems run missions autonomously, collecting, processing, and analyzing data. The drone lives in a weatherproof charging and data processing station called ScoutBase. Once installed at a location, customers can interact with the system via an app, offering customers a “drone-in-a-box” turnkey data solution service under a Robot-as-a-Service (RAAS) business model.
The seven new sites range from 0.1 square miles to 14 square miles and are located in:
- North Dakota
- Louisiana
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- California
- South Carolina
