UAVaid and Archangel Imaging launch coastal monitoring drone project

UAVaid, which develops drones for humanitarian purposes, and Archangel Imaging, which creates AI-based systems for unmanned aircraft, said that the aim was to combine their respective technological specialties to create a low-cost ‘airborne surveillance system’ for the aerial monitoring of coastal waters.

The project is expected to improve protection for both ‘safety at sea and Exclusive Economic Zone’ purposes.

Project SEAWATCH will be exhibiting at the DroneX show in London’s Excel Centre as part of the UKRI Future Flight stand, between 7-8 September 2022.

Daniel Ronen, Co-Founder of UAVaid, said: “We are delighted and grateful to UKRI for the funding to enable the development of the critical innovation for Project SEAWATCH. This project represents a significant opportunity to bring together the benefits of unmanned aviation and artificial intelligence for improving safety at sea and security for coastal water users, domestically and for export markets.”

Charles Smith, CCO at Archangel Imaging, added: “The investment as part of the Future Flight Challenge enables us to further develop our AI and deliver real-world benefits to both users and those that Seawatch will help to protect. We see low-cost monitoring in difficult environments as a key challenge for AI and an area of focus for Archangel Imaging. We are delighted to be a part of this project and to continue our strong working relationship with UAVaid.”

The launch follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two companies in March 2022, which enabled ‘the integration Archangel’s advanced AI capabilities into UAVaid’s unmanned aircraft, in support of the aircraft’s navigation systems and onboard aerial camera image analysis’.