Dronecode

Non-profit organisation Dronecode Foundation has added 27 new member organisations and formed technical working groups.

Dronecode Foundation is developing a common, shared open source platform for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The members will invest in the Dronecode project and the new technical working groups will help the open source platform for UAVs.

Recently added silver members in Dronecode include Aerotenna, AirMap, Airphrame, Altitude Angel, AutoModality, BirdsEyeView Aerobotics, CUAV, Droidika, Dig.y.Sol, DroneDeploy, DroneWorks, Emlid, EnRoute, Falcon Unmanned, Hex Technologies, Incite Focus, Inspectools, Matternet, ProfiCNC, Sentera, Skedans, Yin Yan Tech US and Zubax.

New sponsored members are Humanitarian UAV network, OpenTX Project, Stanford University Aerospace Design Lab and UAVCAN.

The three technical working groups of the project are MAVlink Camera Working Group, Airspace Working Group and Hardware Working Group.

The technical working groups will ensure better standardisation and interoperability in several fields, including camera and gimbal controls, airspace management, as well as hardware and software interfaces.

Dronecode board of directors chairman Chris Anderson said: "From increasing member investments to a growing, vibrant developer community, the Dronecode project’s first year has been extremely exciting.

"Since its creation, the project has received investments from more than 50 member organisations."

"By bringing efforts together to establish a common platform and utilising open source best practices, we are able to build the foundation for a new era of drone applications that extend from the camera to the cloud.

"The Dronecode full-stack platform approach, combined with the hardware and software innovations of its members, will bring about a new generation of drones that are autonomous, aware of their environments, and continuously connected, an airborne Internet of Things."

Dronecode is a Linux Foundation Collaborative project. Since its creation, the project has received investments from more than 50 member organisations.

Qualcomm Technologies, a co-founder of Dronecode, increased its investment in the project by introducing new products for the UAV ecosystem.

Qualcomm Technologies recently launched Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight, an integrated 58mm x 40mm board that can be used in consumer drones and robotics applications.

The Dronecode project seeks to assist the drone industry by bringing the industry a neutral, open source platform, so that software and hardware obstacles in the industry can be removed.

The independently funded software project also aims for collaborative development to encourage innovation across industries and ecosystems.

Image: Drones are increasingly used in agriculture, energy, utilities, mining and construction sectors. Photo: courtesy of the Dronecode project.