SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ModalAI, Inc., a Blue UAS Framework manufacturer of autonomous drone and robot technology, announced today the availability of its smallest, smartest, and safest development drone to date, the Starling. At only 275 grams and with an impressive 30+ minutes of flight time, the Starling is ModalAI’s lightest and longest flying development drone. With Blue UAS Framework 2.0 autopilot, VOXL 2, at its core, the Starling accelerates the development of commercial drone solutions for OEMs looking to realize a breakthrough in autonomy across a diverse set of industries. The Starling is available immediately starting from $2949.99 at www.modalai.com/starling.

The Starling is supercharged by the 16g VOXL 2, ModalAI’s companion computer and autopilot that was created to advance the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit Blue UAS Framework 2.0 Program. With 15 TOPS of AI processing, VOXL 2 boasts more AI computing than any other autopilot. Powered by the 8-core Qualcomm^® QRB5165, VOXL 2 Starling houses a PX4 real-time flight controller, three image sensors, TDK^® IMUs and barometer, GPS and WiFi connectivity and is assembled in the USA.

The Starling offers out of the box autonomous capabilities to accelerate autonomy development and reduce time to market for companies looking to integrate VOXL 2 into their drone solutions. The Starling’s powerful onboard computing from VOXL 2 and SWAP-optimized form factor elevate autonomous UAV use cases like indoor asset inspection. Some of the pre-integrated autonomy models include:

• Visual Inertial Odometry to navigate in GPS-denied environments
• Visual Obstacle Avoidance to fly safely in tight spaces
• 3D Mapping and Path Planning to fly hands-off in dynamic environments
• TensorFlow Lite Neural Networks to run object classification, detection, and other models

Visit our Developer Bootcamp to get your Starling up and flying.

“The VOXL 2 Starling is our smallest, smartest, and safest development drone to date,” said Chad Sweet, CEO and co-founder of ModalAI, Inc. “Any developer looking to integrate VOXL 2 in their own drone solutions, like for indoor asset inspection, will benefit from the Starling’s small form factor, long flight time, and pre-configured advanced onboard computing from VOXL 2.”

About ModalAI, Inc.

ModalAI^® accelerates development of smaller, smarter and safer drones and robots with SWAP-optimized Blue UAS Framework autopilots built in the U.S.A. From home and business security to retail and government applications, the company’s highly-integrated AI-powered modules empower a variety of industries to utilize aerial and ground autonomous navigation systems that communicate on 4G and 5G cellular networks.

Based in San Diego, California, ModalAI was formed by former Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. employees in 2018 and builds on their prior research and development in the drone and robotic markets. ModalAI’s VOXL product line helps manufacturers and independent builders get to market quickly and affordably. For more information, visit www.modalai.com.

Qualcomm is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.
Qualcomm Flight RB5 and QRB5165 are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

XTEND and ModalAI partner to introduce autonomous mission critical drones powered by XTEND’s award-winning XOS operating system and ModalAI’s VOXL® 2 Autonomous AI Autopilot.

July 12, 2023, Tel Aviv, and San Diego . XTEND – the developer of XOS, a human-guided autonomous operating system that is revolutionizing the way humans interact with drones, robots, and smart devices, has today announced a multi-layered partnership with ModalAI, Inc., the leading Blue UAS Framework manufacturer of autonomous drone and robotics technology. The partnership will see XTEND make available their award-winning XOS operating system on ModalAI’s technology, and XTEND’s range of revolutionary human-guided autonomous drones become tightly fused with ModalAI’s industry leading VOXL® 2 Autonomous AI Autopilot, supercharging both sets of users’ ability to complete advanced robotics missions successfully.

Scalable and infinitely flexible, XTEND's Operating System (XOS) provides users with an easily deployable operating system for their drones or robots. Giving any device the ability to connect to and benefit from the extraordinary capabilities of XOS’s growing application ecosystem to enable true human and machine collaboration, on the ground, in any scenario. XTEND’s XOS app store is open to third-party app developers and enables users to run 3rd party applications on their devices, including applications for multiple mission types, including apps that can control a drone's position and extract data, control payloads - such as robotic claws or advanced gas or cyber detectors, or inspect faulty oil and gas industrial infrastructure.

Rubi Liani, XTEND’s co-founder and CTO, explains: “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.

“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.”

VOXL 2 is ModalAI’s next generation Blue UAS Framework autopilot, powered by the Qualcomm QRB5165 processor. At only 16g, VOXL® 2 condenses autonomous capabilities from an onboard companion computer, PX4 flight controller and advanced AI up to 15+ TOPS. VOXL® 2 was crafted to cut autonomous UAV development time by more than half. As a single board AI autopilot with pre-integrated flight hardware and software, VOXL® 2 enables developers to accelerate the R&D phase of the product development journey, and begin developing their own bespoke UAVs. VOXL® 2 will boost the capabilities of XTEND’s range of fully NDAA compliant, human-guided autonomous drones, including its XTENDER, Wolverine and Griffon drones.

“We are very excited that XTEND has selected VOXL® 2 to power their fleet of autonomous drones,” said Chad Sweet, CEO and co-founder of ModalAI, “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.” Both companies are part of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue UAS Framework, which accelerates commercial technology with the aim of providing trusted, advanced capabilities to UAV drone users.

Note to Editors: Headshots and logos are available on request.

About XTEND and XOS: XTEND provides revolutionary human-guided autonomous machine systems that enable any operator to perform extremely accurate manoeuvres and actions, in any environment with minimal training. The company’s patented XOS operating system fuses the best of human intelligence and machine autonomy to enhance the operator’s abilities, and simultaneously reduce the need for physical confrontation, thereby minimizing casualties and injuries. Hundreds of XTEND’s systems are already operationally deployed worldwide, and the company is continuously developing its XOS operating system and platforms to deliver the future of human-machine teaming to defense, HLS, and security professionals worldwide.

Find out more here. For more information please contact; Nick Jones – PR 07832 115362 Media & IR Adee Mor, Chief Marketing Officer Adee.Mor@xtend.me

ModalAI, Inc. VOXL® 2 Announced as Finalist for AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards

Awards ceremony to be held at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023 in Denver, CO.

San Diego, CA. — ModalAI’s VOXL 2 autopilot has been named as a finalist in the Hardware & Systems Design category of the XCELLENCE Awards by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI). ModalAI was selected from a pool of accomplished applicants as one of several finalists. Winners will be announced at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023 on May 8-11 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO.

VOXL 2 is a Blue UAS Framework 2.0 autopilot that was created to enable the next generation of smaller, smarter, and safer drones. At only 16 grams, VOXL 2 boasts more AI computing than any other autopilot. It’s a modular, open system that combines a real-time flight controller, 8-core CPU up to 15 TOPs, Qualcomm QRB5165, seven image sensors, and is assembled in the USA. VOXL 2 accelerates the development of commercial drone and robot solutions to realize the benefits of autonomous AI and 5G. In less than one year, ModalAI's VOXL 2 has enabled more than 200 UAV integrators towards built-in-US, state-of-the-art functionality without sacrificing weight or cost. 

“This year, XPONENTIAL is all about designing a shared plan for the future of autonomy,” said Brian Wynne, President and CEO of AUVSI. “There's no better place to announce the 2023 XCELLENCE award finalists. Together, they're redefining what's possible with uncrewed and robotic technology.”

The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards honor individuals and organizations that are innovators in the uncrewed systems industry, with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of uncrewed systems, and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve society. Winners will be announced at XPONENTIAL, which offers a broad-based and balanced educational program brimming with cutting-edge content and inspirational insights, ranging from policy implications and technical challenges to use cases and best practices across vertical markets and everything in between. 

“VOXL 2 was created to give the drone industry access to a powerful, smart platform that’s easy for developers to integrate in order to enable autonomous use cases across enterprise and government industries,” said Chad Sweet, CEO and co-founder of ModalAI, “We’re thrilled to be shortlisted for the AUVSI XCELLENCE awards and stay committed to advancing the U.S. drone industry with our NDAA-compliant VOXL autopilots.”

For media registration for XPONENTIAL, click here or contact Chelsie Jeppson at cjeppson@auvsi.org. For more information about XPONENTIAL and the XCELLENCE Awards, visit xponential.org. 

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About ModalAI

ModalAI® accelerates development of smaller, smarter and safer drones and robots with SWAP-optimized Blue UAS Framework autopilots built in the U.S.A. From home and business security to retail and government applications, the company’s highly-integrated AI-powered modules empower a variety of industries to utilize aerial and ground autonomous navigation systems that communicate on 4G and 5G cellular networks. 

About AUVSI