Bloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands...
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10/20/17, 4:30 PM Bloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands investment from Boeing for self-flying tech | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Page 1 of 4 http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/10/19/Near-Eart…rgh-investment-Boeing-self-flying-HorizonX-CMU/stories/201710190129 ADVERTISEMENT Bloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands investment from Boeing for self-flying tech COURTNEY LINDER Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] 1:39 PM OCT 19, 2017 Boeing’s 6-month-old Chicago-based venture arm, HorizonX, has invested in yet another Pittsburgh-based company. Near Earth Autonomy will partner with Boeing to help foster its development of unmanned flight systems, the company announced Thursday. Near Earth is the same Bloomfield- based Carnegie Mellon University spinoff already working with a Silicon Valley company and Boeing competitor, Airbus, to develop self-driving air taxis. Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth, was careful to note that this was not an acquisition where Boeing might gobble up the emerging tech for its own competitive advantage. For the nascent autonomous air industry, it makes sense to invest in the technology, generally, before worrying about In brief: Pittsburgh slowly rises in small business growth ranking Near Earth Autonomy ADVERTISEMENT Four Quick Questions Are most things inherently political? Yes No Not sure Post-Gazette Question Next LATEST BUSINESS 4 Home News Local Sports Opinion A&E Life Business Contact Us LOG OUT MY PROFILE MENU Friday, October 20, 2017 4:23PM | 70° Obituaries PG Store Archives
Transcript of Bloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands...
10/20/17, 4:30 PMBloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands investment from Boeing for self-flying tech | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Page 1 of 4http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/10/19/Near-Eart…rgh-investment-Boeing-self-flying-HorizonX-CMU/stories/201710190129
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Bloomfield-based Near EarthAutonomy lands investmentfrom Boeing for self-flyingtech
COURTNEY LINDER
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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1:39 PM OCT 19, 2017
Boeing’s 6-month-old Chicago-based venture arm, HorizonX,has invested in yet another Pittsburgh-based company.
Near Earth Autonomy will partner with Boeing to help fosterits development of unmanned flight systems, the companyannounced Thursday. Near Earth is the same Bloomfield-based Carnegie Mellon University spinoff already workingwith a Silicon Valley company and Boeing competitor, Airbus,to develop self-driving air taxis.
Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth, was careful to note that thiswas not an acquisition where Boeing might gobble up theemerging tech for its own competitive advantage.
For the nascent autonomous air industry, it makes sense toinvest in the technology, generally, before worrying about
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In brief: Pittsburgh slowly rises insmall business growth ranking
Near Earth Autonomy
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10/20/17, 4:30 PMBloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands investment from Boeing for self-flying tech | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Page 2 of 4http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/10/19/Near-Eart…gh-investment-Boeing-self-flying-HorizonX-CMU/stories/201710190129
invest in the technology, generally, before worrying aboutspecific applications, he added.
“The point is for us to become the industry standard,” Mr.Singh said. “Autonomous [air] vehicles are somewhat furtherout than the cars on the ground ... it makes sense right now tothink about the adoption of this technology rather thanspecific focuses.”
The most probable areas for early adoption of this technologyare in military logistics and for flying in remote areas, wherebush pilots typically travel, to autonomously deliver cargo todangerous or hard-to-reach areas.
Details of the HorizonX investment were not disclosed, butBoeing did note this was the first time the company hasinvested in autonomous technologies since its venture fundwas created in April.
In August, HorizonX led a funding round for C360Technologies Inc., a Pine-based video solutions startup. Thatinvestment was also undisclosed, though the total sum of theround was $3.5 million.
The investment will allow Near Earth to mature its currentsuite of hardware and software for aerial autonomy, whichincludes landing zone assessment tech for helicopters anddrones.
In the company’s flagship sensor system, called Peregrine, anarray of familiar sensors are at work, including lidar — thelight detection and ranging technology that self-driving carsuse to “see.”
In 2010, Near Earth helped the U.S. Army make its firstautonomous helicopter flight. At the time, unmanned aerialvehicles could only fly in mapped areas without obstructions.That flight proved the possibility for autonomous flight forurban mobility, an emerging area of interest for the company.
“We’re looking at all of the complexities of operating in urbanenvironments and what happens when you lose GPS ... whatwill it take to fly in the national air space?” Mr. Singh said.
The company currently hires a person every month or two, hesaid, and he expects that trend to continue with a focus onengineers. Near Earth currently employs 52. As the company
Courtney Linder
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10/20/17, 4:30 PMBloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands investment from Boeing for self-flying tech | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Page 3 of 4http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/10/19/Near-Eart…gh-investment-Boeing-self-flying-HorizonX-CMU/stories/201710190129
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engineers. Near Earth currently employs 52. As the companygrows, he expects to eventually move to a larger space.
Mr. Singh said the company really has to think about what itcould take to create a full-fledged product because, unlikeself-driving cars which can include normal vehicles retrofittedwith a sensor suite, an autonomous aircraft would require afull redesign to carry heavy cargo.
“We can test algorithms and sensors without putting others atrisk, very systematically,” Mr. Singh said. “It’s a differentroute from self-driving cars [where] you’re testing inchesfrom pedestrians... we take a somewhat more conservativeapproach.”
Still, the lack of obstacles in the air could mean quickerinnovation than has been seen with self-driving vehicles.Plus, autonomous tech is already widely accepted where NearEarth operates.
“What I like about where we are today is that we can explainwhat we’re doing without going to first principle,” Mr. Singhsaid. “We don’t have to explain what we’re doing —Pittsburgh is a tech city. We’ve gotten used to cars drivingaround by themselves.”
Courtney Linder: [email protected] or 412-263-1707. Twitter: @LinderPG.
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10/20/17, 4:30 PMBloomfield-based Near Earth Autonomy lands investment from Boeing for self-flying tech | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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