Everyone loves drones, including companies with very specific needs. Drones were once the new hot thing and the perfect birthday gift. But drone manufacturers now realize that there is a greater opportunity with cases of commercial use, from agriculture to inspection. That is why we are delighted to announce that three founders of three extraordinary companies from the drone industry will be joining us on TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin on December 4 and 5, 2017.
As we have already announced, Henri Seydoux of Parrot will tell us about the evolution of his company. Parrot has been a pioneer in the drone industry. The company has taken advantage of accelerometers, gyroscopes, wireless chips and energy-efficient processors that you can find in smartphones to power tiny quadcopters.
But Parrot also made several acquisitions for its commercial drone division. SenseFly, Airinov, MicaSense and Pix4D are now all owned by Parrot. The French company also has multiple patents on drone technologies and sells integrated software and hardware solutions for firefighters, farmers and more.
Secondly, James Harrison of Sky-Futures has created software solutions for drone inspections. The company's first focus is on the oil and gas industry. When you think about it, it's so much easier to fly a drone around an offshore oil rig to see if everything is working well.
Other industries are also struggling to keep an eye on inaccessible sites. If you maintain bridges, keep an eye on wind turbines or monitor construction sites, drones can be a lot cheaper than human inspection. Sky-Futures allows you to record, log and share all your observations.
Finally, Clement Christomanos of Uavia works on remote air inspection. If you have ever played with a drone, you know that it has limited autonomy and that you have to stay in range.
Uavia thinks this can be a problem if you have to inspect multiple sites across the country. You have to either train people on the ground or send drone pilots. With Uavia, you can control a drone thousands of miles away from your web browser.
Drones receive instructions from traditional cell towers and then return to the charging stations when they are finished. This can replace or supplement surveillance cameras in sensitive areas.
All of these use cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Goldman Sachs recently shared a report on commercial drones. There are more than a dozen industries that could greatly benefit from the use of UAVs.
Get your Disrupt tickets now to see the founders of Parrot, Sky-Futures and Uavia tell you everything about the future of drones. You will also see the Startup Battlefield Contest, in which a handful of startups are pitching our judges with the hope of winning the coveted Disrupt Cup and a cash prize.
You will have the opportunity to chat with many promising start-ups in Startup Alley, to see incredible discussions on the main stage and to relax after a long day at the salon with a cocktail and new friends during the show. After Disrupt evening
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Do you run a startup? The Startup Alley Exhibitor Pack is your best bet for getting the biggest exposure by exposing your business or product directly to the Disrupt Berlin show floor.