IPO-bound Delhivery has acquired California-based Transition Robotics, a startup developing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) platforms. Delhivery has taken over all of the acquired company’s intellectual properties registered in the United States, including those concerning aerial photography, remote sensing, inspection and surveys.
Founded in 2011 by Jeff Gibboney, Transition Robotics develops technologies for autopilot assisted vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), flying wing aircrafts, aerial photography, infrastructure inspection, surveys and remote sensing, autopilot electronics, software design and manufacturing.
Its first product was the Quadshot which was a type of hobbyist remote-controlled aircraft for experimenting with aerial photography and aerobatics. In 2015, the startup launched JumpShip, a fully autonomous platform that allows commercial operators to combine the operational flexibility of a multirotor drone and the efficient, fast flight of fixed-wing drones.
“While we continue to build our supply chain platform, we must look at the long-term developments poised to shape the industry. Bringing TRI onboard gives us a chance to get directly involved with core Drone Technology as regulations and use cases for drones are evolving in the country,”
said Kapil Bharati, chief technology officer of Delhivery.
“We are excited to join the Delhivery team and combine our experience in developing UAS solutions with Delhivery’s ability to quickly deploy and operate technology at scale. We believe our core technology and expertise is a great addition to Delhivery’s fully-integrated approach to logistics and are looking forward to being a part of its future,”
said Jeff Gibboney, cofounder of Transition Robotics.
Telecom giant Reliance Jio announced that it conducted successful trials of its connected drones on its indigenously developed 5G network.
India began piloting long-range drone deliveries in parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Punjab in June this year to test the viability of home deliveries of medicines, ecommerce and food orders using drones.
Before that, hyperlocal delivery app Dunzo had announced plans to test drone deliveries in Telangana through a partnership with the Telangana government and the World Economic Forum.
The development comes as Delhivery is preparing to start drone delivery trials in India. The company had signed an agreement with cargo division of airline firm Spicejet, SpiceXpress, earlier this year to build drone delivery capability in the country.
The two companies — SpiceXpress and Delhivery — have formed one of the consortiums shortlisted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct trials on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones in India.
Zomato, Swiggy, Dunzo, Flipkart and others will also be testing their drone capabilities in separate consortiums.
Sources: Inc42; Business Insider