In an insightful discussion with Chad Armstrong, CEO of Shearwater Aerospace, I explored the innovative strides his company is making in the drone industry. During our interview at a recent technology conference, Armstrong shared his passion for leveraging natural phenomena to enhance drone endurance and efficiency, a pioneering approach inspired by the remarkable flight capabilities of shearwater birds.
Smart Planning module integrated with Lockheed Martin’s VCSi ground control software
Innovation Inspired by Nature
Shearwater Aerospace, not to be confused with its digital footprint at Shearwater.ai, draws its name and inspiration from the shearwater bird, known for its incredible annual migration covering 64,000 kilometers. Armstrong explained that the endurance of these birds sparked the idea to develop advanced AI-powered flight optimization and automation software aimed at significantly improving drone operational efficiency.
“Our focus has always been on endurance, emulating how birds leverage wind power to achieve astonishing feats of flight duration,” Armstrong said. This inspiration led to the development of the company’s flagship platform, Smart FlightTM, which enables a single operator to manage multiple drones simultaneously.
