Cape Drops Support for DJI – Partners with Skydio

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Cape, a cloud platform for remote drone operations, has announced that, effective immediately, the company will drop support for DJI drones. As part of the decision, the company also launched the Cape Preferred Partner Program (P3), a new initiative aimed at ensuring the security of commercial drone integrations across industries.

Skydio, a creator of drone systems that combine artificial intelligence, computer vision and advanced robotics, is the first company to officially join Cape P3, just months after they were selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to take part in the Short Range Reconnaissance program for the U.S. Army. Together, the companies will collaborate on next generation technology that is both easier to use and more capable than ever before, enabling secure, intelligent, and cost-effective remote drone operations for both enterprises and government organizations.

Cape P3 was established to create a process for ensuring secure integration of Cape Aerial Telepresence software with trusted drone hardware manufacturers and enterprise application developers. The program is a direct result of increasing security concerns around the use of drones for public safety and commercial use, and follows the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent warnings regarding security risks related to the use of Chinese-made drones. Among the concerns, the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned of the potential risk of Chinese-made drones compromising data and sharing information on servers beyond organizations’ themselves.

With the launch of the partner program, Cape software will exclusively allow for integration with hardware and enterprise applications from U.S. companies, such as Skydio, or companies from countries with intellectual property treaties with the U.S. As a result, Cape will specifically cease all integration with DJI-manufactured drones, as well as all other drones developed by companies based in China. Cape P3 is the latest example of the company’s commitment to enabling wide scale use of drones by enterprises, ensuring total data privacy and the safety of U.S. airspace.

“The success of commercial drone adoption in the U.S. depends on total data security and privacy protection,” said Chris Rittler, CEO of Cape. “In launching the Cape Preferred Partner Program and ceasing integration with DJI drones, we are taking a stand for the benefit of all enterprises who want to utilize drones as part of daily operation. We are proud to be partnering with Skydio in leading the charge for improved security standards and increased safety during a critical inflection point in the industry.”

Today’s businesses increasingly rely on the integration of drones into daily operations to maximize workforces, improve operational efficiencies and enable data-driven decision making, with security and safety topping the list of technology requirements. The combination of Skydio’s advanced drone technology and Cape Aerial Telepresence software offers companies the highest level of drone data protection, while enabling ease of use and the accessibility of captured footage by existing industry-specific enterprise applications.

Now, commercial customers and public safety and government agencies will be able to easily capture 4K quality images and videos autonomously with best-in-class collision avoidance, while remotely operating the drone from any location, and view the captured footage in real-time over any internet connection. With the Silicon Valley startups sharing the same principles on data privacy, security and intellectual property protection, the partnership offers organizations the best possible technology for practical everyday use cases that security-conscious operations teams can count on.

“Skydio’s advancements in autonomous drone technology expand the horizons for aerial data capture for consumers, enterprises and first responders by enabling robust, precise, autonomous and semi-autonomous flight in every environment, in close proximity to obstacles, and in GPS-denied environments,” said Adam Bry, CEO at Skydio. “With the Cape partnership, users of Skydio’s upcoming drones will be able to remotely operate the drones without fear of crashing, and without putting anybody in harm’s way.”

Source: Press Release