WeRobotics

Last updated
WeRobotics
FoundedDecember 2015 (2015-12)
FoundersSonja Betschart, Patrick Meier, Andrew Schroeder and Adam Klaptocz
Headquarters Wilmington, United States / Geneva, Switzerland
Area served
 Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Caribbean
ProductsCivilian drones, data, and AI for social good applications
Website WeRobotics

WeRobotics is a Swiss-American global social impact organization with a non-profit status which helps communities globally leverage technology solutions that adapt to their local contexts and needs using civilian drones (UAVs), data and AI technologies, founded in 2015. [1] [2] [3] The organization has 41 independent Flying Labs as of 2023 that are located in the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

History

WeRobotics incorporated on December 15, 2015, as a 501c3 organization from a collaboration of two existing initiatives: UAViator and Drone Adventures, initiated by 4 Co-Founders: Sonja Betschart and Adam Klaptocz of Drone Adventures based in Switzerland, and Patrick Meier and Andrew Schroeder of UAViators based in the U.S. [7] [8]

In 2016, WeRobotics in partnership with Rockefeller Foundation tested the development of local knowledge hubs focused on drones and other robotics applications in three countries: Nepal, Tanzania and Peru, which resulted in setup of first Flying Labs. [9] In 2017, WeRobotics started collaboration with USAID, Hewlett Foundation, IADB, and MIT Solve. [10] In the same year, WeRobotics launched new Flying Labs in Fiji and Panama to explore activities in the South Pacific and Central America. [11] In 2018, WeRobotics introduced its network model to allow for scale of the Flying Labs Network. By end of 2018, the network grew to 17 independent Flying Labs globally which further grew to 41 in December 2023, it has enlarged its funders and partners, adding to the list the Autodesk Foundation, IADB, Omidyar Network, Fondation Botnar, Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation, World Bank and WFP to mention few. [12] [13] In 2022, Sonja Betschart, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, was selected for Ashoka Fellow in Switzerland, and she appeared on 2024 list of 50 Over 50 by Forbes. [14] [15]

Activities

Since 2016, WeRobotics has worked with communities to create knowledge hubs, called Flying Labs, to support and train local partners to address local problems with technology solutions by deploying technology for social good applications (defined as applications that link to one or several SDGs), including drone data collection & analysis and transportation. [16] [17]

2015-2020

In 2016, WeRobotics in Nepal established the Katmandu Flying Lab which helps in creating and supplying of maps during natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides. [18] In 2017, WeRobotics in Peru helped in addressing the Peruvian Amazon basin medical issues, and Amazon animal bites by rapid deployment of health care resources using UAVs. [19] In March 2018, in collaboration with the Insect Pest Control Laboratory of the International Atomic Energy Agency and during a Zika virus outbreak, WeRobotics introduced 284,200 sterile male mosquitoes around Carnaíba do Sertão, Brazil to interrupt the reproductive behavior of the fertile mosquitoes. [20] [8]

In May 2018, WeRobotics ran an event to update and expand the Humanitarian UAV Code of Conduct. [21] In 2019, in partnership with Red Wing Labs, WeRobotics worked for the U.S. Centre for Disease Control as a delivery in response to medical emergencies in Papua New Guinea. [22] WeRobotics worked with the Red Cross in Fiji to map damage to buildings caused by Cyclone Keni. [23]

2021-present

In 2021, the company released a children's picture book called Ariel & Friends about the use of drones for social good. [24] Since 2022, Flying Labs in Uganda has been helping mitigate risks for coffee farmers by capturing multispectral and RGB imagery via drones with cameras to help spot crop health issues that are often invisible to the human eye alone. [25] Flying Labs works with World Vision in implementation of various projects, like in large scale reforestation in Kenya in 2021, [26] [27] and in farmer-managed natural regeneration in Tanzania. [28]

In May 2022, Kenyan Flying Labs with EPFL's Laboratory of Urban Transport Systems (LUTS), launched a joint experiment to test LUTS' innovative approach to traffic congestion in Nairobi. [29] [30] Flying Labs helps in surveying of land for irrigation and agriculture in Burkina Faso. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned aerial vehicle</span> Aircraft without any human pilot on board

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard. UAVs were originally developed through the twentieth century for military missions too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans, and by the twenty-first, they had become essential assets to most militaries. As control technologies improved and costs fell, their use expanded to many non-military applications. These include aerial photography, area coverage, precision agriculture, forest fire monitoring, river monitoring, environmental monitoring, weather observation, policing and surveillance, infrastructure inspections, smuggling, product deliveries, entertainment, and drone racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military robot</span> Robotic devices designed for military applications

Military robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled mobile robots designed for military applications, from transport to search & rescue and attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned combat aerial vehicle</span> Unmanned aerial vehicle that is usually armed

An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircraft ordnance such as missiles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and/or bombs in hardpoints for drone strikes. These drones are usually under real-time human control, with varying levels of autonomy. UCAVs are used for reconnaissance, attacking targets and returning to base; unlike kamikaze drones which are only made to explode on impact, or surveillance drones which are only for gathering intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micro air vehicle</span> Class of very small unmanned aerial vehicle

A micro air vehicle (MAV), or micro aerial vehicle, is a class of man-portable miniature UAVs whose size enables them to be used in low-altitude, close-in support operations. Modern MAVs can be as small as 5 centimeters - compare Nano Air Vehicle. Development is driven by commercial, research, government, and military organizations; with insect-sized aircraft reportedly expected in the future. The small craft allow remote observation of hazardous environments or of areas inaccessible to ground vehicles. Hobbyists have designed MAVs for applications such as aerial robotics contests and aerial photography. MAVs can offer autonomous modes of flight.

Komaza is a distributed forestry company that partners with smallholder farmers in Kenya to plant trees for sale as sustainable wood products. They provide farmers with the support across the entire value chain, from supplying seedlings and other planting inputs to establish tree farms, up to harvesting, processing and selling mature trees to local markets. Komaza has planted nearly 7,000 tree farms and currently employs over 100 full-time staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeryon Labs</span> Canadian UAV manufacturer

Aeryon Labs is a Canadian developer and manufacturer of miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario. Founded in 2007, it is a subsidiary of Denver, Colorado based company FLIR Systems. The company has produced a variety of VTOL quadcopters unmanned aerial vehicles including the Aeryon Scout and the Aeryon SkyRanger series. Their UAV have been deployed in multiple disasters, conflicts around the world as well as being used by police in Canada. Their UAV can be used to photograph crime scenes or assist in missing persons cases. By 2018, the company's UAV had been purchased and put in use by the militaries of 20 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delivery drone</span> Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used to transport packages, food or other goods

A delivery drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to transport items such as packages, medicines, foods, postal mails, and other light goods. Large corporations like Amazon, DHL, and FedEx have started to use drone delivery services. Drones were used effectively in the fight against COVID-19, delivering millions of vaccines and medical supplies across the globe. Drone deliveries are highly efficient, significantly speeding up delivery times and avoiding challenges traditional delivery vehicles may encounter. Given their life-saving potential, use cases for medical supplies in particular have become the most widely tested type of drone delivery, with trials and pilot projects in dozens of countries such as Australia, Canada, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, the UK, the US among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D Robotics</span> American drone company

3DR, also known as 3D Robotics, is an American company located in Berkeley, California that produces enterprise drone software for construction, engineering and mining firms, as well as government agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jani Hirvinen</span>

Jani Hirvinen is one of the early Finnish IT-technology pioneers. Hirvinen is also one of the first ones developing small private sector professional level UAVs. He is among the top developers of the ArduCopter platform that - together with the included autopilot - changed the way drones are being flown all over the world. He is also the co-founder of famous international unmanned institutions ArduPilot, DIYDrones and DroneCode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned aerial vehicles in the United States military</span> US industry information

As of January 2014, the United States military operates a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles : 7,362 RQ-11 Ravens; 990 AeroVironment Wasp IIIs; 1,137 AeroVironment RQ-20 Pumas; 306 RQ-16 T-Hawk small UAS systems; 246 MQ-1 Predators; MQ-1C Gray Eagles; 126 MQ-9 Reapers; 491 RQ-7 Shadows; and 33 RQ-4 Global Hawk large systems.

A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a kind of aerial weapon with a built-in warhead that is typically designed to loiter around a target area until a target is located, then attack the target by crashing into it. Loitering munitions enable faster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area and also allow more selective targeting as the attack can be changed mid-flight or aborted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingcopter</span> German aerospace company

Wingcopter GmbH is a German aerospace company that designs and manufactures unmanned eVTOL delivery drones capable of providing last-mile delivery as well as mapping, surveying, and inspection. Their flagship drone, Wingcopter 178 Heavy Lift (HL), set the Guinness world speed record for remote-controlled tilt-rotor aircraft in 2018, flying at an average speed of 240.6 km/h. To date, the company has partnered with commercial and humanitarian organizations to perform drone delivery of critical supplies in Africa, the South Pacific, Ireland, and Scotland. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wingcopter partnered with Thales, Skyports, and the NHS to provide beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) delivery of medical test samples and other supplies to a hospital on a remote Scottish island. The company has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as "2020 Technology Pioneer". The company is amongst ten other drone companies to be selected by FAA to participate in a type certification program for delivery drones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selçuk Bayraktar</span> Turkish engineer and businessman

Selçuk Bayraktar is a Turkish pilot, engineer and businessman. He is the chairman of the board and the chief technology officer of the Turkish technology company Baykar. He is also known as the architect of Turkey's first indigenous unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB2 and first unmanned fighter jet Bayraktar Kızılelma. Bayraktar is also the founding chairman of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation.

RobotLAB is an American educational technology company that manufactures robotics and virtual reality products for K-12 and higher education, as well as business robots for retail, hospitality, and medical companies. The company distributes the Pepper and NAO humanoid robots developed by SoftBank Robotics. They are headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Meier (humanitarian)</span> Digital inventor, humanitarian

Patrick Meier invented the concept of using crisis mapping in humanitarian emergencies, and is a co-founder and the Executive Director of WeRobotics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baykar Bayraktar TB3</span> Turkish unmanned combat aerial vehicle

The Baykar Bayraktar TB3 is a Turkish carrier-based medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of short-range landing and take-off, produced by Baykar.

Shield AI is an American aerospace and arms technology company based in San Diego, California. It develops artificial intelligence-powered fighter pilots, drones, and technology for military operations. Its clients include the United States Special Operations Command, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy and several international militaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windracers</span> British manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles

Windracers is a UK-based manufacturer of autonomous cargo drones. Founded in 2017, its self-flying aircraft were originally conceived to bring down the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to remote communities. The long-distance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can fly up to 1,000 km before refuelling and can be used for multiple purposes including mail delivery, defence, humanitarian aid, firefighting and academic research.

References

  1. ↑ Farr, Christina (2017-11-14). "Delivering medical supplies into the remote Amazon is a big challenge, but drones could help". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  2. ↑ Rogers, Kelli (6 November 2017). "Drone, meet the humanitarian cluster approach". Devex.
  3. ↑ Harper, Nicole (2022-04-20). "Service drones streamline health supply chains in the Global South". ITU Hub. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  4. ↑ "Moving on from WeRobotics, with Gratitude". iRevolutions. 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  5. ↑ Correspondent, Our (2022-05-12). "Redwing Labs, Flying Labs collaborate as technology partner". www.itln.in. Retrieved 2024-04-20.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ↑ Wight, Andrew. "Who Is Flying Drones In Namibia And What Are They Doing?". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  7. ↑ "Drones for good 2.0: How WeRobotics is redefining the use of unmanned systems in developing countries - Robohub". robohub.org. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  8. 1 2 "How bug-delivering drones are helping defeat deadly diseases". NBC News. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  9. ↑ Peralta, Joseph (2018-08-29). "Motivating Change: How the Data Revolution Can Feed the Next Green Revolution". The Rockefeller Foundation. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  10. ↑ "Join our Drone Training in Tanzania!". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  11. ↑ "Meet the Youngest Drone Pilots in Fiji". iRevolutions. 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  12. ↑ "Autodesk Foundation and WeRobotics team up to reduce the spread of Zika Virus in Brazil – Por Dentro da Autodesk Brasil". blogs.autodesk.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  13. ↑ "Systems Innovation". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  14. ↑ "ASHOKA WELCOMES SONJA BETSCHART AS A NEW FELLOW | Ashoka". www.ashoka.org. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  15. ↑ McGrath, Maggie. "50 Over 50: Europe, Middle East And Africa 2024". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  16. ↑ "Automation for sustainable development | Engineer Live". www.engineerlive.com. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  17. ↑ "Aerial Robotics for Search & Rescue: State of the Art?". iRevolutions. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  18. ↑ "When Disaster Strikes, He Creates A 'Crisis Map' That Helps Save Lives". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  19. ↑ Chen, Angus (2017-02-13). "A $40,000 Drone Failed To Lift Off. But There Was A Silver Lining". NPR. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  20. ↑ Wu, Katherine J. "Do Not Fear the Drones Air-Dropping 50,000 Mosquitoes From Above". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  21. ↑ swissinfo.ch, <Celia Luterbacher> in Boston (5 June 2018). "How drones are transforming humanitarian aid". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  22. ↑ Cheney, Catherine (20 May 2019). "What role should donors play in helping drones for delivery take flight?". Devex.
  23. ↑ "Do no harm: A code to guide use of humanitarian drones". SciDev.Net. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  24. ↑ "New picture book series on drones celebrates local expertise and culture". DroneDJ. 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  25. ↑ "Uganda Flying Labs aids coffee farmers, using drones and GIS". www.esri.com. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  26. ↑ "Drones Are Helping Large-Scale Reforestation Efforts in Kenya". Flying Labs Blog. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  27. ↑ Johnson, Khari. "Drones May Help Replant Forests—If Enough Seeds Take Root". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  28. ↑ "Regenerative farming solutions in Tanzania with PIX4Dfields". Pix4D. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  29. ↑ Brouet, Anne-Muriel (2022-07-13). "Monitoring city mobility from the skies". EPFL News.
  30. ↑ "An Ambitious Drone Traffic Monitoring Experiment with Kenya Flying…". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  31. ↑ Wight, Andrew. "What Are Drones Doing Cheaper And Faster In Burkina Faso?". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
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