Doodle Labs, a provider of datalink solutions for mobile robotics and connected teams, has formed a partnership with Freefly Systems, a designer and manufacturer of drones. The collaboration aims to demonstrate how the integration of their respective technologies can better serve disaster response and public safety entities.
Freefly Systems had previously disclosed a partnership to incorporate Doodle Labs’ mesh radios into the Astro UAS platform. This combined technology will be exhibited on September 27-28 at Disasters Expo USA in Anaheim, California, a venue for professionals specializing in disaster preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery.
The Astro UAS platform by Freefly, designed and built in Woodinville, WA, is equipped with features such as high precision RTK/PPK, LTE cloud connectivity, and an onboard mission computer, enabling flexibility in payload due to its open ecosystem and quick release functionalities. This platform is engineered to meet the diverse demands encountered in different terrains and applications.
Doodle Labs is contributing its Mesh Rider Radio as the onboard datalink for Astro, providing secure, long-range, high-bandwidth mesh capabilities and ensuring reliable connections for global deployment possibilities.
The integration of Doodle Labs' advanced networking with the functional flexibility of Astro offers a solution suitable for global disaster response efforts, useful for tasks such as search and rescue missions, terrain mapping, and network extension in areas with challenging networking conditions encountered during floods, wildfires, and earthquakes.
Amol Parikh, VP of Marketing for Doodle Labs, commented on the collaboration, stating,
“We view our collaboration with Freefly as an opportunity to contribute to advancements in UAV technology and to support public safety groups that depend on this technology to respond to disasters effectively.”
The Mesh Rider Radio employs Doodle Labs’ proprietary multi-band technology, allowing operation across up to six frequency bands in one radio, accommodating commercial, defense, and dual-use applications. This ensures the quick and dependable deployment of UAVs by disaster response teams, even in the face of international regulations on frequency allocation or in environments with high RF congestion.
The development has been partially sponsored by the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and adheres to the standards of DIU’s Blue UAS program and the NDAA. The compliance and versatility of both Mesh Rider Radio and Astro make them viable options for disaster response groups, facilitating swift and reliable responses in varied and demanding circumstances, and emphasizing the commitment of Doodle Labs and Freefly Systems to public safety and innovation in technology.
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