Remote communications company Mobilicom (MOB) believes the COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate demand for drone delivery systems and so is exploring new opportunities in this fast growing market, reports stockhead.com.au.
Today, the company announced a new USD770,000 funding for a research project in Florida. Together with US drone company Censys Technologies, MOB will undertake a two-year project to build an advanced communication platform which allows drones to be effective, whilst also meeting aviation safety regulations for civilian airspace.
The company said regulatory restrictions currently pose the biggest hurdle to the sector’s development. MOBs funding covers the first year of research, as part of a joint spending initiative between Space Florida and the Israel Innovation Authority.
A company spokesperson said, “The aim is to develop a solution targeting civilian drone and unmanned aerial system (UAS) operations in three areas: Delivery, inspection security and law enforcement.”
MOB will develop an Autonomous Platforms Dual Datalink, allowing for the automatic selection of the best communication channel for a given range or location, which will be embedded in the Censys drones for flight-testing. The company said if the project is successful Censys may look to purchase the resulting technology for use in its drone fleet. “There is further potential for uptake by other drone operators and manufacturers too,” added the spokesperson.
Shares in the company rose in morning trade, and the stock has now climbed off its COVID-19 lows after getting slammed at the peak of the selloff in March.
For more information