How This Startup Plans To Dominate International Skies With GPS-Defying Drones

If you are a drone enthusiast, you might wonder whether drones can fly without GPS. The answer to this is simple — yes, they can. Using advanced cameras equipped with visual sensors, it is possible to fly drones seamlessly without GPS. 

But, do we really need such a tech? Well, the answer to this, too, is affirmative, as drone users often face communication challenges, especially in the case of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). 

While GPS-enabled drones are prone to losing control and facing attacks (either due to unfavourable weather conditions or signal jammers), posing a threat to any mission, drones without GPS solve this problem.

At a time when GPS-enabled drones are in use worldwide, there has been an increased focus on building drones with powerful visual sensors and AI-enabled software that can travel with little hiccoughs and as efficiently as other drones. 

In 2018, Besta Prem Sai, an IIT Delhi alumnus, started researching to find an alternative to GPS drones. Today, Sai is the cofounder and CEO of Vecros Drones, a drone tech startup building non-GPS autonomous drones or GPS-denied drones. The startup is also making printed circuit boards (PCBs) for these drones.

The global drone market opportunity is expected to grow at a CAGR of 25% to surpass $166 Bn by 2031, and Vecros is focussed on making superior hardware and software from India for the world. 

However, while the market opportunity is immense, the ethical concerns cannot be ignored — especially when the defence application of drones is on the rise.

Besides, global military powers are finding ways to deploy these vehicles in GPS-denied areas to wage war. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is a noteworthy example.

Speaking with Inc42, Sai said his engagement with drone technology was merely out of interest. As he was tinkering with the hardware aspects of drones, a professor brought up the pressing issue of communication challenges that GPS-enabled drones face.

Recognising a huge market opportunity, Sai, along with his friend (who later exited the company due to personal reasons), founded Vecros Drones in 2018. They also received a few grants from IIT to pursue this. 

Vecros Drones’ Early Flight

It was not until 2021 that the startup began its operations. This was also the year when Vecros secured the first round of funding.

“Initially, we started to write software, but the problem was that drone manufacturers did not have advanced hardware that our software could support. So, we thought of building a drone that could completely ditch GPS,” Sai said, explaining how Vecros finally took off.

After receiving its first cheque of INR 25 Lakh from 100X.VC in late 2020, Vecros raised some more angel funding in 2021. With INR 1 Cr investment in hand, the founder, Sai, started building the complete drone stack (software + hardware), and the byproduct was a drone that would capture data using cameras and LiDAR sensors. The same year, Rajashree Deotalu, a robotics researcher, joined as the cofounder and CTO of Vecros.

Years later, the founders take pride in building drones on the simultaneous localisation mapping (SLAM) principle, which has helped their drones fly seamlessly without GPS.

“With the help of SLAM, we have made our drone intelligent enough to create a real-time map of its surroundings, like how we humans do, and route its own path from the start to an endpoint, navigation through the obstacles and finding safe spots to get into a mission,” Deotalu said.

So far, Vecros has built only one drone model, Athera, powered by its proprietary AI-enabled software, JETPIX. The startup has raised around INR 4.5 Cr in total funding from Rebalance, OTP Venture Partners, and angel investors, including boAT’s Aman Gupta in Shark Tank. It has 10 technology patents under its belt.

Vecros’ Tech Stack

There are a few aspects of Vecros’ tech stack – the hardware part, which includes drones and PCBs (JETCORE), and JETPIX, which is significantly modernised with computer vision that enables fail-safe path planning.

The startup makes its drones in-house, which are 3D printed with a few sub-components like propellers and motors imported. It uses NVIDIA’s graphics processing unit (GPU) to power the advanced software capabilities of flying without GPS.

While Vecros has also used off-the-shelf PCBs, its in-house circuit boards are more compact and lightweight and better synchronised with the hardware it is building.

Vecros claims that its first product, Athera, is capable of carrying a 2 kg payload and has a 35-minute flight capability, providing 360-degree obstacle sensing and 5 cm position accuracy.

With GenAI capabilities integrated into its software, Vecros Drones also supports voice commands. From takeoff and navigation to capturing specific data, one can make its drones do most of the work via voice commands. 

Currently, the startup is building a battery management system (BMS). It also claims to offer hot swapping. With Vecros’ technology support, users can call back the drones when required, swap the old battery and redeploy them on the field. 

“An in-house BMS, along with battery swapping, not only reduces safety challenges but also costs for users,” the cofounders said. 

Vecros Sets Coordinated For Tomorrow

As of now, the startup plans to deploy its drones across three sectors primarily – construction, warehouses, and defence. 

While it is true that the ethical concerns remain, drones, in general, pose this concern. Like any other new technology, this, too, remains a grey area and depends on its use or abuse.

Moving on, the startup largely works with B2B clients. It has yet to receive Type certification for its drones, which currently hinders its path to generating a steady source of revenue.

However, Sai claimed that Vecros has started generating revenue from various pilot projects it’s carrying out by providing drone-as-a-service (DaaS).

Given that the company is building a wide range of products and solutions, it is expected to have multiple revenue streams, including DaaS, selling drones as products, and selling PCBs separately. In fact, the startup plans to sell its drone components and software as separate autonomous kits to other drone manufacturers.

Currently, getting certification is the most crucial puzzle that will add commercial value to Vecros’ technology. With the expectation to slove this soon, the startup aims to start selling its drones by the mid of next year.

According to Sai, the startup is looking to sell around 100 drones and at least 10,000 PCBs separately by the end of next year. 

Besides, it is in the process of building its next drone, Jasper. The startup is also building a drone dock where drones can fly in, recharge, and fly back. By 2026, Vecros has plans to set foot in the US and raise around $2 Mn.

Meanwhile, the startup is confident that amid the little risk-taking appetite of the existing drone players, who largely work with outdated legacy software, Vecros will bring a breakthrough in the world of drones.

However, for that to happen, the startup needs to start generating revenues to chart and sustain its future roadmap.

[Edited By Shishir Parasher]

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.