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California-based augmented reality start-up Edgybees announced that it has raised $5.5 million in funding Wednesday. The company plans to use this capital to refine its AR platform, which has already been used by drones during emergencies and first response scenarios, such as the Hurricane flooding in Florida and the recent Northern California wildfires. According to Tech Crunch, the technology used by Edgybees essentially overlays useful guidelines on a drone’s camera-feed, such as street names or items of interest, which are obviously highly useful in disaster scenarios.
Coincidentally, the last time we announced that a drone-tech company received financial backing, it also planned on utilizing the funds for an in-house AR platform. As opposed to DroneBase’s AirCraft Pro AR platform, however, Edgybees is utilizing augmented reality in a more immediate way. Formerly focused on using AR for gaming purposes, the company has shifted toward the emergency response sector by augmenting virtual information over tangible landscapes.
Let’s watch a video by Edgybees to demonstrate what this looks like in action.
Thanks to the recent funding, largely from companies such as Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, Verizon Ventures, 8VC, NFC, Aspect Ventures, and OurCrowd, the company hopes to maximize relief efforts through its AR platform, and has reportedly demonstrated that potential in emergencies.
In the next video, thanks to the aerial view in combination with overlaid AR data, you can really get a sense of how the AR technology used by Edgybees helps firefighters coordinate better, and have more functional information at their disposal.
“What started as technology powering a racing game is now saving lives around the world,” said co-founder and CEO Adam Kaplan. “The overwhelming response by commercial and industrial drone users looking to leverage AR, and partner with us in the fields of fire, public safety, and search [and] rescue has been amazing, and we can’t wait to expand the next set of drone applications into new markets,” Kaplan added.
We’ve reported a tremendous amount on unmanned aerial vehicles in law enforcement and firefighting. The affordability in conjunction with the rather sophisticated technology provided makes the modern-day drone an extremely invaluable tool for these industries. What we have here is simply a new, added layer of practicality. If those in charge of saving lives can have a more descriptive, informative aerial view of what is occurring below, replete with descriptors, labels, and guidelines, then Edgybees might truly be at the forefront of making these lifesaving efforts even more efficient.
