Probably drones have made the difference in recent years. I still remember the day I saw them in stores; they were small drones practically created for entertainment. Later they had the addition of cameras that gradually increased their resolution. Subsequently, we began to see high-definition videos on various audiovisual platforms. There is no doubt that drones are evolving.
I believe we are all aware that drones have been put to good use, such as in the case of Amazon Prime Air, which is responsible for autonomously delivering packages to customers. However, there has also been misuse, or at least one that I consider very controversial, which is the use of drones on the battlefield.
The truth is that drones have evolved to adapt to different purposes and solve everyday problems, as well as some not so common ones.
Xtend is making a strong impact in the development of robots and drones alongside other providers, and it also provides a platform that allows their management. The interesting thing about this is that it is possible to control them with a virtual reality helmet, although something that is also being done is training AI models to be autonomous.
Building on this last point, drones would be able to recognize the structure of a building and its interiors to navigate the place and identify nearby objects. This is something we have discussed before, so there is no doubt that this will be something that will be attempted to be refined from now on by this and other companies.
Aviv, one of the founders of Xtend, believes that drones are capable of performing a sort of common exercise and that there are occasions when decisions are left to human supervisors. He also points out that these drones can be operated by a single supervisor, who can command a group of drones.
As Xtend technology is useful for general purpose use cases, such as in industries like public safety or logistics, as mentioned earlier. However, the company's current focus on military applications of drones may be somewhat controversial. In fact, collaborations have been established with the Israeli Defense Forces and the U.S. Department of Defense for the development of drone-based systems that involve intercepting other drones.
In this context, a $9 million agreement has been made with the Pentagon's Irregular Warfare office. While these drones could also be easily utilized by a police force, in my opinion, if used to address complex situations without causing harm and aiming to safeguard society and provide security, it could be a good option.
It should be noted that there are still several unresolved issues before this becomes a standard practice. There are still questions regarding law enforcement agencies using a group of drones, for example, to locate and apprehend a suspect with the assistance of this technology. There have also been instances in the past of activities being considered as espionage, allegedly occurring during protests in various cities under the Trump administration.
Xtend has recently announced a $40 million funding round from Chatered Group. Additionally, contracts are on the rise, with the company estimated to have earned around $50 million from a client base that includes numerous government defense agencies.
Aviv appears to have a pro-Israel stance in the conflict with Hamas, and it seems that this support could significantly influence the expected outcomes for the Israeli forces. This support could lead to increased funding levels and the possibility of attracting potential clients with a military interest.
Current funding is estimated at $65 million, and international expansion is anticipated, although there are current efforts to increase the workforce by 50% in the United States, Israel, and Singapore.
In conclusion, I believe that the development of drones, whether operated by humans or AI-assisted, offers a wide range of applications that could be used for common good, addressing everyday challenges. However, many advancements in this field have arisen from controversy. Will this be an exceptional case? We do not know, but what we do know is that technology will continue to evolve.
- Main image edited in Canva.
- I have consulted information in techcrunch.com.
- I have used Hive Translator to translate from Spanish to English.