Self-flying drones are now commonplace, but the model pictured here can also land in an area the size of a toolshed – no operator required. The quadcopter and its landing box are the work of Tel Aviv-based Airobotics, which makes them for deployment on surveys and security patrols. “What makes us different is that ours is the only solution that automates the entire operation,” says co-founder Ran Krauss, 34.
Krauss started out making flying tools for photographers, but the price of drones was falling too fast to make a profit – so in 2014 he switched to industrial uses. An early test came that December, when oil from the Evrona oil field in Israel leaked into a nature reserve. Airobotics gave the clean-up crew a bird”s-eye view of the situation, but manual piloting was expensive and time-consuming. “This required automated drones,” says Krauss.
So he started building a UAV system that could function without operators. Airobotics” drone can take off, fly preprogrammed flights for 30 minutes, then land without human assistance.