ModalAI, a Blue UAS framework manufacturer of autonomous drone technology, has launched the Starling, the company’s smallest, smartest, and safest development drone to date. With the VOXL 2 drone autopilot supercharging its core, the Starling packs in powerful computing and artificial intelligence.
Weighing only 275 grams and delivering more than 30 minutes of flight time, the Starling is ModalAI’s lightest and longest-flying development drone. The drone offers autonomous capabilities out of the box because it is powered by the 16g VOXL 2, an autopilot that ModalAI created to advance the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit Blue UAS Framework 2.0 Program.
With 15 TOPS of AI processing, VOXL 2 boasts more AI computing than any other autopilot. Powered by the 8-core Qualcomm QRB5165, VOXL 2 Starling houses a PX4 real-time flight controller, three image sensors, TDK IMUs and barometer, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity, and is assembled in the US.
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Essentially, ModalAI’s new offering is meant to accelerate autonomy development and reduce time to market for companies looking to integrate VOXL 2 into their drone solutions. Some of the autonomy models that come pre-integrated into the drone include:
- Visual Inertial Odometry to navigate in GPS-denied environments
- Visual Obstacle Avoidance to fly safely in tight spaces
- 3D Mapping and Path Planning to fly hands-off in dynamic environments
- TensorFlow Lite Neural Networks to run object classification, detection, and other models
As Chad Sweet, CEO and cofounder of ModalAI, sums it up: “Any developer looking to integrate VOXL 2 in their own drone solutions, like for indoor asset inspection, will benefit from the Starling’s small form factor, long flight time, and pre-configured advanced onboard computing from VOXL 2.”
Prices start at $2,949.99.
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