Soldier Borne Unmanned Aerial 3D Geospatial Intelligence

Ā ModalAI, a San Diego-based drone technology company, proposes the development of a new small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) named Sparrow, building on its existing technologies and expertise. Sparrow, a highly advanced and compact drone, is designed to seamlessly transition from outdoor to indoor environments, enabling real-time capture of Electro-Optical (EO), Infrared (IR), and 3D-point cloud data. This innovative sUAS, weighing just 175g, is a significant advancement from ModalAI's current sUAS, Starling, and leverages the company's VOXL 2 technology for autonomous, GPS-denied navigation and mapping. Ā Founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Qualcomm, ModalAI has garnered over $12 million in government contracts, primarily from the Department of Defense (DoD), and has established itself as a key player in the UAS sector. The company specializes in manufacturing Modular Open System Architecture Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and sUAS in the United States. Ā Starling, ModalAI's existing product, serves as a test and validation platform for developing GPS-denied autonomy and mapping capabilities. This 275g sUAS, powered by VOXL 2, has demonstrated substantial technical capabilities, forming the basis for the proposed Sparrow technology. Ā Sparrow aims to enhance these capabilities by incorporating advanced features such as dual-camera GPS-denied navigation, deep learning AI for entryway transitions, robust indoor mapping solutions, and integration of multiple sensors for comprehensive environmental perception. ModalAIÆs partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton under the xTechPrime competition is crucial for integrating and advancing Sparrow's technology for production. Ā The Sparrow sUAS is designed with an optimized Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) profile, ensuring efficient maneuverability in confined spaces and compatibility with common Army control systems. This project not only addresses the challenges in GPS and communication-denied environments but also significantly contributes to the future of autonomous, soldier-level Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications. Ā Sparrow represents a significant leap in sUAS technology, promising to deliver unparalleled capabilities for both military and commercial applications, reinforcing ModalAI's position as an innovator in the UAS industry.