TL;DR:
- VECROS secures $250K funding led by Rebalance for their Spatial AI-powered Drone Systems.
- The company aims to revolutionize drone operations in critical infrastructure maintenance.
- Their flagship product, ‘Athera,’ boasts autonomous capabilities and an in-house proprietary operating system.
- VECROS leads with level 4 autonomy, heading towards level 5, enabling automatic operations without human intervention.
- The drone inspection and monitoring market is expected to reach $30 billion by 2026, with significant opportunities in commercial security.
- VECROS plans to use the funds for drone production, commercialization, and team expansion.
- Their innovative technology has garnered recognition from the Indian Army and various programs and accelerators.
Main AI News:
In a remarkable development for the world of autonomous drone systems, VECROS, India’s pioneering Spatial AI-powered Drone Systems company, has secured a game-changing investment of $250K, led by Rebalance. This funding marks a significant step forward for VECROS in its mission to redefine the landscape of drone operations across various industries.
Monitoring and inspecting critical infrastructure, such as pipelines, bridges, inaccessible areas, and roads, is paramount for ensuring public safety and preventing costly accidents. Unfortunately, traditional methods are prone to errors and accidents, resulting in millions of dollars in compensation payouts by companies annually. Enter VECROS, with their innovative approach to addressing these challenges through the deployment of intelligent machines like drones.
Drones are emerging as the champions of “Data on Wings,” enabling remote visual inspections and monitoring that save companies millions. While drones have already found utility in various aspects of operations, including power line inspections, there are limitations in their current design. Inefficiencies persist as every drone requires a pilot, image quality remains subpar, intelligent analysis is lacking, and navigation options are rudimentary.
VECROS has set out to revolutionize the drone industry with its cutting-edge Spatial AI technology for drones. This innovative AI system enables drones to comprehend the space, depth, and structure around them, allowing for safe navigation. Their flagship product, ‘Athera,’ is an autonomous drone powered by their proprietary operating system, ‘JetpixTM.’
Founded in 2021 by Besta Prem Sai (with over 6 years of experience in aerial robotics, including work with Boeing and TCS) and Rajeshree Deotalu (a seasoned expert with over 6 years in robotics, motion planning, and dynamics, boasting six published research papers), VECROS has developed a complete hardware and operating system solution. This solution not only reduces costs by an impressive 70% but also offers a remarkable 60% reduction in flight time per task.
Rajeshree Deotalu, Co-Founder of VECROS, stated, “We have developed an entire operating system to launch drones autonomously and operate them without the need for a pilot. We want to empower industries with GPS-independent, AI-on-Edge drones, which can redefine the future of drone operations.”
The implications of VECROS’ autonomous drone technology are profound. It currently leads the drone market with level 4 autonomy and is actively pursuing level 5 autonomy. This level of autonomy allows drones to take off automatically, scan an area, and report insights without human intervention. Exciting features include automatic mission scheduling and advanced video management.
The drone inspection and monitoring market is projected to reach $30 billion by 2026. VECROS is positioned to play a pivotal role in this growing sector, with commercial security alone offering opportunities of up to US$1 billion annually over the coming decade.
Aishwarya Malhi and Vikas Kumar, Co-founders at Rebalance, shared their enthusiasm for VECROS’ technology: “We’re excited to see the multifold applications of their technology catering to sectors from construction, energy plants, oil and gas, utilities, large agricultural farms, and railways to civil security and emergency response—all offer notable opportunities for autonomous drone-based monitoring and inspection.”
VECROS’ commitment to innovation is underscored by their pursuit of patents, having filed for 10+ already, with several more in the pipeline. The company is actively conducting trials with the Indian army, security agencies, and logistics companies.
The recognition received by VECROS includes being selected as part of the IDEX program by the Indian Army and winning the Sterlite Innovation Challenge among 480 startups. Additionally, VECROS was part of the Nvidia inception program and Rebalance Accelerator Cohort 06.
Suhail Sameer, Partner at OTP Ventures, shared his perspective: “Having worked many years in the energy and mining industry, we could immediately see the power of what VECROS had developed. Drone technology has moved a long way over the last few years. What Besta and Rajeshree are building is pushing the envelope of autonomous monitoring and inspection. We are very excited to work with them and help them take this technology to numerous industries and clients.”
With the freshly acquired funding, VECROS plans to accelerate the production and commercialization of drones, as well as expand its talented team. Their vision is clear: to make drone-based applications operationally feasible and economically viable. By bridging the gap between deep-tech complexity and on-ground operations, Rajeshree and Besta are forging a new-age company with scalability and sustainability at its core.
In a testament to their innovation, VECROS recently made a high-profile appearance on Shark Tank India Season 3, where they demonstrated their GPS-denied drone technology on national television, solidifying their status as pioneers in the field of autonomous drone systems.
Conclusion:
VECROS’ successful funding round and groundbreaking technology position them as key players in the evolving drone industry. Their ability to enhance operational efficiency, precision, and safety in infrastructure maintenance will likely lead to disruptive advancements in various sectors, with the potential to tap into the substantial drone inspection and monitoring market, creating new opportunities for innovation and growth.
