Swiss drone startups are disrupting these industries
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From entertainment to security, Swiss startups are bringing high-tech and innovative solutions not only to the drone industry but also to other fields.
As reported in a recent PwC study, the emerging drone global market is valued at over $127 billion. Many companies are planning to disrupt current solutions and the way we live. International players like YUNEEC research, EWATT and Matternet have settled their European offices in Switzerland and are contributing significantly to the development of innovative projects and technology development. But what is the state of Swiss startups in the drone industry? Let us check the most innovative companies in the Helvetian Confederation.
Entertainment: AEROTAIN
AEROTAIN has developed the world's safest drone for live entertainment. From experiential advertising to sport events and broadcasting. Its unique lightness and camera technology are revolutionizing customer interactions during an event, and offer new monetizing opportunities for event organizers.
Awards:
TOP 100 Swiss Startups 2017, 2016
Venture Leaders Technology 2016
Venture Kick (130,000) 2016
Open Source: Auterion
Auterion is creating the next-generation open-source infrastructure for autonomous robots by connecting the community of developers, contributors, and companies.
Delivery & Logistics: DELDRO
Deldro develops and operates a B2B drone-based express delivery service using autonomous drones with a range of up to 100km that guarantee immediate, fast and safe shipments.
Security: FIXPOSITION
Fixposition offers a reliable, centimetre-accurate positioning service which is affordable and easy-to-use. It is designed for a wide variety of possible applications, from agricultural machinery to surveying.
Awards:
Venture Kick (30,000) 2018
Venture Leaders China 2018
ESA BIC Switzerland 2018
Industrial inspection: FLYABILITY
Flyability is a Swiss company building safe drones for inaccessible places. By allowing drones to be safely used in cities, inside buildings, and in contact with people, it enables new interactions and services with UAVs and solving the two most critical issues of one of the fastest growing industries: collisions and injury risks. Flyability is the winner of the 1M USD Drones for Good Award 2015 and over 10 other technology and business prizes.
Awards:
TOP 100 Swiss Startups 2017, 2016, 2015
Venture Leaders China 2017
Venture Kick (130,000) 2015
Venture Leaders 2014
Photography and Videography: Fotokite
Started as an ETH spinoff , Fotokite’s mission is to make aerial photography accessible to everyone. Specifically, the company aspires to solve fundamental drone issues such as safety, the need for piloting skills, and the lack of accountability. The startup has already built the lightest, friendliest, safest, most portable and most affordable GoPro quadcopter yet.
Awards:
Venture Leaders Technology 2018
TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award 2017
Agriculture: Gamaya
Gamaya, founded in 2015, is a spin-off of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and provides an integrated solution for large-scale diagnostics of crops and decision support for precision agriculture. Thanks to its drone technology combined with a sophisticated software and big data analysis, it offers farmers increased yields, significant savings on chemicals as well as early alerts of crop disease, nutrient deficiencies and proliferation of weeds.
Awards:
TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award 2017, 2016, 2015
Venture Kick (30,000) 2014
Cleantech: H55
H55 develops certified electric propulsion small aircrafts to make air transport clean, safe, quite, affordable and ultimately autonomous. So far, H55's electric demonstrator aircraft, aEro1, has successfully flown more than 50 hours with a battery life of more than an hour.
Security: INVOLI
INVOLI (formerly known as OneSky) builds the infrastructure to enable tomorrow’s drone revolution, ensuring their safe integration into today’s aviation world. The startup built an online platform that gathers data from a network of scaled-down control towers collecting maximum of information on the position of every flying object in the sky, manned or unmanned. This technology will allow virtually anybody to see the surrounding air traffic and take the most appropriate measures.
Awards:
De Vigier Award 2018
ESA BIC Switzerland 2018
Venture Leaders Technology 2018
Venture Kick (10,000) 2017
AIT Brazilian Camp 2017
3D Models and maps: Pix4D (acquired by Parrot)
Started as a spin-off of EPFL, Pix4D became the leading software editor for creating 3D models and maps from regular cameras and drones. Pix4D sold its software to thousands of professionals in the construction, mining, farming and surveying industries. In addition to professional drones, Pix4D is now the main partner of the three leading consumer drone manufacturers (DJI, 3DR and Parrot).
Awards:
TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011
Venture Kick (30,000) 2011
3D Models and maps: senseFly (acquired by Parrot)
SenseFly, another EPFL spinoff that is now part of the Parrot Group, produces smart autonomous flying cameras that can automatically survey a zone of up to 10 square kilometres in a single flight while recording high-resolution aerial images. Such images are transformed into precise and up-to-date maps that provide great added value to surveyors, mining site managers, farmers or land managers.
Awards:
TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award 2014, 2012
Venture Kick (130,000) 2010
Cleantech: SKYPULL
Skypull is developing an airborne wind energy system with a ground-based generator. With 95% less material than wind turbines, it will produce renewable energy at lowest cost. The Skypull fully autonomous VTOL aircraft flies like a kite in more powerful winds at higher altitudes, pulling on a tether connected to the generator to generate electricity. A reduced-scale prototype is already operational.
Awards:
ESA BIC Switzerland 2018
Venture Kick (130,000) 2017
Cleantech: TWINGTEC
TwingTec has developed an energy-generating drone wing which flies like a kite to harness the energy of wind. The strong winds at higher altitudes, in remote places or off-shore in deep water, cannot be economically harnessed with wind turbines and this innovative solution will exploit new renewable energy opportunities.
Awards:
ESA BIC Switzerland 2018
Venture Leaders China 2015
Venture Kick (130,000) 2014
Performing arts & robotics: Verity Studios
Founded in 2014 by Raffaello D’Andrea, a robotics and AI expert, Verity studios brings autonomous indoor drones to live events using proprietary algorithms and system architectures. Its drones have been featured in a variety of live events, where Verity Studios’ Stage Flyer drones performed 398 live shows with more than 7,000 autonomous take-offs, flights, and landings.
Civil applications: Wingtra
Wingtra has developed a convertible aerial robot that takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane. Thanks to the combination of range and flexibility, the fully autonomous WingtraOne is best suited for various civil applications - for the inspection of farmland or mining.
Awards:
TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award 2017, 2016
Venture Leaders Technology 2016
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