Remember when spotting a drone in the sky was a novelty? Now it\u2019s like playing whack-a-mole with flying machines. <\/span>Delivery drones<\/span>, <\/span>military drones<\/span>, <\/span>AI drones<\/span>, hobby drones \u2014 our skies are busier than the queue at airport security. Without air traffic control, we\u2019re one step away from midair collisions and drones arguing over parking spots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Enter AirDodge, a Norwegian startup that\u2019s stepping in to tame the chaos. The Oslo-based company just secured a $500,000 pre-seed funding round, led by VC firms Nordic Makers and Antler. The investment will help AirDodge develop its U-Space software platform, designed to manage large-scale drone operations across Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt AirDodge, we envision a future where drones seamlessly integrate into the airspace, contributing positively to various industries while ensuring safety and compliance,\u201d said Umar Chughtai, who founded AirDodge in 2022. \u201cThis funding will allow us to accelerate the development of our U-Space platform, bringing us closer to realising that vision.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The AirDodge platform provides a real-time map of drone activity and aims to simplify the process of obtaining flight permissions. The tech aligns with the EU\u2019s <\/span>U-Space<\/span><\/a> standards which are \u201c<\/span>designed to provide safe, efficient and secure access to airspace for large numbers of unmanned aircraft, operating automatically and beyond visual line of sight<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2018, <\/span>London\u2019s<\/span> Gatwick airport was forced to shut down<\/span> after drones were spotted flying near the runway. The incident affected around 1,000 flights and 140,000 passengers.<\/span> Many similar incidents have occurred over the years, from <\/span>Stockholm<\/span><\/a> to <\/span>Frankfurt<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If AirDodge\u2019s tech had been around during the Gatwick fiasco, it could\u2019ve spotted the rogue drones in real-time, flagged them faster than airport security can confiscate a water bottle, and perhaps kept flights running smoothly. By enforcing no-fly zones and syncing drones with air traffic control, the platform might have saved 140,000 passengers a lot of headaches (and missed connections).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDrone technology<\/a> has the potential to have a positive impact on society, business and public services, but there is not yet a way to guarantee safety,\u201d said Kristian Jul R\u00f8sj\u00f8, partner at Antler. \u201cHigh-profile disruptions are hindering the development of this technology and AirDodge will provide a much-needed solution.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n AirDodge will use the pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of its platform. The company aims to launch the alpha version in mid-2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Across the EU, the market for drone services is soaring. One <\/span>projection<\/span><\/a> valuing it at \u20ac14.5bn by 2030, bringing in 145,000 new jobs. But as drones proliferate, so do the challenges.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have the drones, but we lack the infrastructure,\u201d said Nima Tisdall, partner at Nordic Makers. \u201cIn this case, the infrastructure is not roads, plumbing, or electrical wires; but rather ethereal communication systems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tisdall added that Airdodge had unusual strengths for the region.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe founding team is forceful and ambitious \u2014 qualities that can be surprisingly rare to find in Nordic entrepreneurs, but integral in building a category-winning business,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to be supporting a local player who can help unlock the large-scale adoption of drones across Europe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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