SAN DIEGO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 19, 2023 — ModalAI, Inc., a Blue UAS Framework manufacturer of autonomous drone and robot technology, announced today the availability of its smallest, smartest, and safest development drone to date, the Starling. At only 275 grams and with an impressive 30+ minutes of flight time, the Starling is ModalAI’s lightest and longest flying development drone. With Blue UAS Framework 2.0 autopilot, VOXL 2, at its core, the Starling accelerates the development of commercial drone solutions for OEMs looking to realize a breakthrough in autonomy across a diverse set of industries. The Starling is available immediately starting from $2949.99 at www.modalai.com/starling.
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The new ModalAI VOXL 2 Starling development drone. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Starling is supercharged by the 16g VOXL 2, ModalAI’s companion computer and autopilot that was created to advance the 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 WiFi connectivity and is assembled in the USA.
The Starling offers out of the box autonomous capabilities to accelerate autonomy development and reduce time to market for companies looking to integrate VOXL 2 into their drone solutions. The Starling’s powerful onboard computing from VOXL 2 and SWAP-optimized form factor elevate autonomous UAV use cases like indoor asset inspection. Some of the pre-integrated autonomy models 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
Visit our Developer Bootcamp to get your Starling up and flying.
“The VOXL 2 Starling is our smallest, smartest, and safest development drone to date,” said Chad Sweet, CEO and co-founder of ModalAI, Inc. “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.”
About ModalAI, Inc.
ModalAI® accelerates development of smaller, smarter and safer drones and robots with SWAP-optimized Blue UAS Framework autopilots built in the U.S.A. From home and business security to retail and government applications, the company’s highly-integrated AI-powered modules empower a variety of industries to utilize aerial and ground autonomous navigation systems that communicate on 4G and 5G cellular networks.
Based in San Diego, California, ModalAI was formed by former Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. employees in 2018 and builds on their prior research and development in the drone and robotic markets. ModalAI’s VOXL product line helps manufacturers and independent builders get to market quickly and affordably. For more information, visit www.modalai.com.
Qualcomm is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.
Qualcomm Flight RB5 and QRB5165 are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
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Contact:
Lauren Young
lauren.young@modalai.com
