| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Website | auterion |
Auterion is a multi-national software company that develops a common operating system for autonomous systems, primarily focusing on drones and robotic vehicles for the enterprise and defense sectors. Founded by the creators of several foundational open-source drone projects, the company commercializes this technology to provide a standardized, hardware-agnostic platform for vehicle manufacturers, payload providers, and application developers. Auterion's core product, AuterionOS, is a commercial distribution of the widely used open-source PX4 autopilot software.
The company's strategy is centered on creating an open ecosystem, analogous to Android for smartphones, which allows various hardware components and software applications to interoperate seamlessly. This approach contrasts with the proprietary, closed systems common in the drone industry. By providing a standardized software backbone, Auterion enables manufacturers to accelerate development and allows end-users to manage diverse fleets of vehicles from multiple vendors through a unified interface.
The company develops and deploys AI-powered capabilities, such as autonomous swarming and terminal guidance, which are designed to function in contested environments where GPS and communications are denied. Its engagement with the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations has become a primary driver of its growth, positioning it as a key software provider for modern, software-defined warfare.
Auterion's history is rooted in the open-source drone community, emerging from the work of its founders to create a commercial enterprise based on established, community-driven software standards. The company was established to productize and support the PX4 autopilot ecosystem for enterprise and government clients, evolving from a provider of drone software to a key enabler of autonomous systems across air, land, and sea domains for the defense industry.
The company's history has been marked by a steady progression of funding, strategic partnerships, and a growing focus on military applications:
Auterion's technology and strategic direction are deeply connected to the work of its co-founder, Dr. Lorenz Meier. While co-founded with Kevin Sartori, Dr. Meier's technical contributions form the core of the company's intellectual property and extend far beyond the company, as he is the creator of several of the most fundamental and widely used open-source software and hardware standards in the drone industry. These projects, developed during his PhD at ETH Zurich and governed by the Dronecode Foundation, form the technological bedrock of the modern autonomous vehicle ecosystem.
Dr. Meier's key contributions to the open-source drone community include:
The open standards created by Dr. Meier are the foundation upon which Auterion's commercial product portfolio is built.
Auterion's core technological strategy is to provide a unified, hardware-agnostic software platform that functions as a common operating system for autonomous systems. This platform is designed to support vehicles across air, land, and sea domains, enabling an open ecosystem where hardware from different manufacturers can operate together seamlessly. The product stack is layered, consisting of an onboard operating system, reference hardware, and a suite of software applications for mission control and fleet management.
AuterionOS is the company's central product, a commercial and hardened distribution of the open-source PX4 flight control software created by Auterion's founder. It is packaged as a complete, vendor-independent operating system for robotic systems. AuterionOS serves as the software backbone that runs on a vehicle's onboard computer, managing all core functions from flight control to mission execution. By providing a common platform, it enables an ecosystem of compatible vehicles, payloads (such as cameras and sensors), and third-party software applications, allowing for modularity and interoperability.
Skynode is Auterion’s group of hardware designed to run AuterionOS. These units combine a flight controller for real-time operations with an onboard mission computer for handling high-level tasks such as AI, computer vision, and advanced communications. Skynode acts as an all-in-one avionics module that manufacturers can integrate into their vehicle designs.
| Model | Target Use | Key Features | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skynode S | Small integrated systems, FPV drones, Fixed Wing | Lightweight, low-cost. 2.3 TOPS NPU, 4GB RAM. | Available |
| Skynode X | Medium workloads, Medium/Long range | Extensive connectivity, redundant sensors, integrated ethernet switch for tactical radios. | Available |
| Skynode N | AI-heavy workloads | NVIDIA Orin powered, extensive connectivity, redundant sensors. | Pre-Release |
A suite of software products complements AuterionOS, providing interfaces for operators and developers to control vehicles, manage fleets, and extend capabilities.
This integrated hardware and software stack is built upon a set of foundational open-source standards governed by the Dronecode Foundation.
Auterion is fundamentally linked to the open-source drone community through the Dronecode Foundation, a non-profit organization hosted by the Linux Foundation. The company's products are commercial implementations built upon the open standards managed by Dronecode, and Auterion actively contributes to their development. This open ecosystem ensures interoperability, prevents vendor lock-in, and fosters community-driven innovation.
The PX4 Autopilot is an open-source flight control software for uncrewed vehicles. Originating from the PIXHAWK MAV project by Lorenz Meier and his colleagues at ETH Zurich, PX4 provides a comprehensive set of algorithms for guidance, navigation, and control. It serves as the real-time flight stack at the core of AuterionOS.
MAVLink (Micro Air Vehicle Communication Protocol) is a lightweight, header-only messaging protocol used for communication between drones and ground control stations, as well as between different components onboard a vehicle. Its efficiency and reliability have made it a de facto standard in the drone industry for transmitting commands and telemetry data.
QGroundControl is an open-source Ground Control Station (GCS) application designed for MAVLink-based vehicles. It provides a user-friendly interface for flight control, mission planning, and vehicle configuration. Its cross-platform support (Android, iOS, Mac OS, Linux, Windows) makes it a versatile tool for operators. Auterion Mission Control is a commercially supported version of QGC.
MAVSDK is a standards-compliant software development kit that provides APIs in languages such as C++, Swift, and Python. It allows developers to create custom applications that can programmatically control and interface with MAVLink-enabled drones, simplifying the development of high-level autonomous behaviors and integrations.
Pixhawk is an open hardware standard that defines specifications for flight controller hardware, commonly known as autopilots. It provides an open reference design, creating an interoperable hardware foundation for manufacturers and ensuring compatibility with the PX4 software ecosystem.
Auterion's commercial products offer a professionally supported, integrated, and secure version of this open-source stack, tailored for the reliability and compliance requirements of government and enterprise users.
Auterion has established a significant presence in the government and defense sectors, with a particular focus on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and allied nations. This has become a primary area of business for the company, driven by the increasing military demand for low-cost, scalable, and autonomous uncrewed systems across air, land, and sea domains, as demonstrated in the war in Ukraine.
Auterion is involved in several major government and defense initiatives:
These programs underscore Auterion's strategic shift toward becoming a key software provider for Western defense agencies and their allies.
Auterion is a multi-national company with a global presence in Arlington, Virginia, Zurich, Switzerland, Munich, Germany, and Kyiv, Ukraine.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)