The human-steered operating system (OS) developed by XTEND requires zero learning time to operate life-and environment-saving drones. Guided by artificial intelligence (AI), the drone OS recently attracted $20 million in Series A investment funds for XTEND, helping the company speed the development of its new-generation Drone Operating System for autonomy and multiple-drone applications in defense and commercial markets. The intuitive OS (see figure), which is already used by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for critical military missions, offers enormous potential for managing drones in commercial life-saving operations.
Founded in 2018 by Aviv and Matteo Shapira (two-time Emmy Award winners), XTEND developed a unique and patented Drone Operating System called XOS which combines human judgment and AI technology for long-distance control of drones. The Shapira’s sold their previous company, Replay Technologies, to Intel Corp. The XTEND team includes Rubi Liani, founder of the Israeli Drone Racing League and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialist Adir Tubi. The XOS technology employs augmented reality (AR) and AI to assist remote drone operators in achieving maximum effectiveness with minimal risk.
XTEND’s co-founder Aviv Shapira explained: “This funding round enables XTEND to scale out our truly unique and innovative operating system, which allows anyone to perform extremely precise interactive missions in dynamic complex environments with zero learning time – making the idea of Human-Centric Telepresence a reality. This is another great step towards removing the ‘human-risk-factor’ from dangerous warfare and tactical combat & Homeland Security scenarios.” The Drone Operating System enables remote indoor and outdoor drone control, including when surrounded by air traffic, such as intercepting a rogue drone at 150 km/h in an airport.