Meet the first product of a collaboration between open-source solutions provider Auterion and GE Aviation: Tennessee-based drone manufacturer Hybrid Project‘s SuperVolo.
The SuperVolo is a long-range, VTOL, hybrid gas-electric UAV. With a 6-hour flight time and a design that accommodates difficult environments, the SuperVolo could be another player in the enterprise drone market for industrial or military use. And, it runs on an open-source operating system.
Earlier this year, Auterion (see this article for more on their open source platform) partnered with GE Aviation to integrate the Auterion Enterprise PX4 operating system into GE Aviation’s Unmanned Aircraft System avionics platform.
“The collaboration enabled us to offer large commercial UAVs a full-stack solution with airborne autopilot and application computing hardware, flight management, safety management, and integration. GE Aviation provided the avionics hardware, application computing, and airframe integration,” says an Auterion blog post. “Auterion provided Enterprise PX4, the operating system on the airframe, in the cloud, and the ground station. Development and flight testing of the platform spanned over a multi-week period at multiple locations, including at Reno-Stead Airport in Reno, Nevada.”
“This combination supports long-term flexibility and a high level of design assurance to enable commercial drone operations beyond visual line of sight and within complex airspace and obstacle environments.”
The SuperVolo represents the company’s first airframe integration agreement. oday, we are excited to announce our first airframe integration agreement. Hybrid Project is integrating the GE Aviation and Auterion all-in-one hardware and software platform into their latest release.
“This collaboration represents several firsts for Auterion. Hybrid Project is our first joint customer with GE and the first long-range VTOL in our product portfolio. It is also the first gas/ electric hybrid UAV powered by Auterion. This opens up a host of new possibilities and use cases for UAS inspections services, mapping, and cargo deliveries,” says the Auterion post.
The commercial availability of SuperVolo is targeted for Q1 2020.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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