Cape is a California-based company that has developed a cloud-based software for Aerial Telepresence of drones. [1] It is the first platform for full commercial drone telepresence and the first company in the U.S. to be awarded Section 333 and Part 107 waivers by the FAA. [2] The company was founded in 2014 and operates in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Middle East, Mexico, and Australia. [3] [4] By May 2018, it had performed more than 100,000 successful drone flights. [5] Chris Rittler serves as a CEO of the company and Kabe Termes is the director of operations. [6] [7] [5]
Cape is a software that works on a cloud-based system and allows the complete control of connectivity and management of commercial drones offsite over the web. [1] [8] The platform allows the users to fly and control the drones safely with ultra-low latency and high-resolution video.[ citation needed ] It automates the process for users and can be accessed from mobile devices such as laptops and smartphone applications. [9] [10]
The application of the software extends to users from the government, military and enterprise sectors. [11] They have also received investment from Telstra Ventures, Google's Gradient Ventures, Mitsui & Co. and NEA. [12]
In 2017, Cape started working with the Chula Vista Police Department to test the application of their software for the Drone program. [13] [14] In August 2018, after the success of tests, Chula Vista Police Department started officially implementing the software. [6]
In October 2017, the Ensenada Police Department in Mexico implemented the software to their drone program to help minimize crime rates. [15] [16] [17] Crime rates were reduced by more than 10 percent after drones equipped with the Cape Aerial Telepresence platform. [11] [18]
In August 2018, the San Diego Fire Department's first UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) demonstration took place after completing a public UAS deployment with Cape drones. [19] [20] [21] [22]