ParaZero and Sightec: Using Vision-Based Navigation to Increase Safety in Autonomous Drone Missions

Sightec’s NavSight AI-powered computer vision solution adds visual situational awareness and GPS-free, vision-based navigation to ParaZero SafeAir autonomous parachute recovery systems, ensuring increased safety in virtually any operational environment and offering a benchmark solution for enhanced mission containment and ground risk mitigation.

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Revolutionary Fusion of Advanced Safety Technologies

ParaZero, a world-leading provider of autonomous parachute systems for commercial drones and urban air mobility vehicles, has partnered with computer vision and AI flight technologies developer, Sightec, to develop among the most sophisticated and advanced safety systems in the world with precedent-setting capabilities. The combined solution will be wrapped in a unified hardware platform that provides optimal integration, operational safety, and value for OEMs and end-users.

ParaZero’s onboard drone safety system, SafeAir, can be integrated with UAS and eVTOL platforms of any size, weight class, or airframe design. SafeAir continuously monitors a wide array of sensors and analyzes flight data in real time to accurately detect a potential problem, autonomously activating a proprietary flight termination system (FTS) and deploying a parachute in the event of an in-flight emergency. Equipped with ParaZero’s patented parachute technology, SafeAir systems have been used to facilitate regulatory acceptance and enable autonomous BVLOS flights in countries around the world by providing a robust safety solution to mitigate ground risk in the event of an in-flight emergency.

Sightec’s NavSight system enables camera-based Visual Situation Awareness for 24/7 aerial missions, including vision-based navigation (GPS-free), landing and delivery site evaluation, detection and classification of ground objects, as well as 3D mapping and change detection for a full understanding of the ever-changing environment of the aerial platform. NavSight turns off-the-shelf cameras into smart, affordable sensors that enable UAS and eVTOL to see and understand their surroundings, just like a human pilot.

“We’re committed to safety – our clients depend upon us to provide the data they need to operate safely beyond the pilot’s visual-line-of-sight. We’re proud to work with ParaZero on creating a cutting-edge solution that will move autonomous drones and advanced air mobility forward into an era of safety capabilities previously unseen in the commercial space” commented Roy Shmuel, CEO of Sightec.

Advanced Safety Capabilities

The combination of Sightec’s NavSight capabilities including GPS-free navigation and visual situational awareness, along with ParaZero’s advanced real-time flight analytics capabilities and proven safety technologies, all redesigned in a unified platform to create a revolutionary combination of safety technologies that is designed to provide:

• Enhanced containment capabilities (GPS-free)
• Optimized parachute deployment algorithm to keep landing zone within operational area
• Independent flight termination system (FTS)
• Autonomous triggering system (ATS) that detects malfunctions in real-time
• GPS-free navigation, offering a redundancy for onboard GPS
• Safe landing zone detection and identification
• Seamless integration with common autopilots to improve & simplify the overall process

As BVLOS flight and other advanced drone applications expand, the ParaZero and Sightec solution will further enable rapid innovation and testing in the drone and urban air mobility industries. Boaz Shetzer, ParaZero CEO commented “ParaZero is proud to be at the forefront of drone safety development – this partnership opens up new technological possibilities that address the pain points of the market in meeting global UAS regulations.”

“Sightec’s technology is among the most sophisticated visual situational awareness tools on the market today,” says Yuval Gilad, ParaZero’s Chief Product Officer. “This collaboration forms a strong foundation for future developments and capabilities that will provide our customers with the most up-to-date safety solutions on the market.”

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• Skywatch.AI Partners with Parazero: Drone Pilots Save Money on Insurance with Safety Systems
• Drones In Construction: Inside the Approval of a Waiver for Flight Over Humans with Hensel Phelps and ParaZero
• ParaZeros SafeAir Opens Up Flight Over People in Canada