UAV deteksjon

Fargo company creates app that detects drones, alerts pilots

The news clip about a drone entering busy airspace and nearly colliding with an aircraft caught Shawn Muehler's eye. 

 There's got to be a way to prevent these near misses, Muehler, a military pilot, thought as he watched the increasingly familiar story unfold. 

 For the past eight months, Fargoans Muehler and Alex Kube, a software developer, have been working to create a safety application for unmanned aircraft. 

 The result is Botlink, an application that shows drone pilots where manned aircraft are as well as controlled airspaces, which require permission to enter. 

 "At the heart of the platform is safety," said Muehler, chief executive officer of the company, which was founded as Aerobotic Innovations. 

 The app plots the drone's position relative to other aircraft by harnessing real-time Federal Aviation Administration data. If the drone approaches controlled airspace, the app alerts its pilot, and provides contact information for the control tower. 

 The company is also developing a cellular device that straps to drones and allows real-time information to be communicated from multiple drones to multiple users. 

 For example, a law enforcement agency with 20 unmanned aircraft searching for a missing person could have a video feed from all of its drones relayed to all of its squad cars, instead of from one drone to one operator. 

 The company's software, hardware and cloud technology poises Botlink to become an industry standard once widespread commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Kube, chief operating officer, said the company wants to be for drone operations what Microsoft Windows is for offices. 

 "We want to provide software solutions to drone problems," he said. 

 Muehler said their familiarity with drone operations separates them from competitors. The first few months of their business venture was spent in a "think tank," writing possible problems on a whiteboard and brainstorming solutions they could bring to market. 

 Now operating with a staff of seven out of Fargo's Black Building, they plan to roll out the free Botlink Android app in the next few weeks, targeting hobbyists and enthusiasts. 

 "The more people that are on, the safer everyone is," Muehler said. 

 The startup company is currently in the third phase of Innovate ND, a state program that provides funding and support to entrepreneurs. 

 Paul Tefft, a consultant with the North Dakota State University and Research Park, where Fargo's Innovate ND program is housed, described Botlink's work as cutting edge. 

 "What these guys are doing is something that may have nationwide significance," Tefft said. "I think that the sky is kind of the limit for these guys."