Open source is gaining ground.  Following on last month’s news of a new product from GE,  open source solution provider Auterion announces another new collaborative product.  Auterion and Avy introduce the Wingdrone, a fixed-wing, VTOL aircraft powered by an open source based operating system.

The market has multiple reasons for interest in open source platforms. In a conversation with Auterion’s co-founders earlier this year, Kevin Sartori explained some of the advantages to DRONELIFE.  Open source is allowing new drone companies and customers to focus on specific problems, says Sartori, without having to reinvent a way to make the drone fly: “Companies don’t actually build the whole solution, they focus on their added value,” he says.  “It’s a natural evolution of the industry, and it helps the industry accelerate.”

Sartori points out that most modern software development is based on open source code – Microsoft, for example, is the largest contributor to the open source Linux system. “The real question is not ‘why open source?’” says Sartori,  “but ‘why not open source?’ We just do modern software development brought into the avionics space.”

The following is from an Auterion press release.

Los Angeles, California, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands – November 19, 2019 – Auterion, the leading open-source based operating system for enterprise drones, and Avy, a pioneer in innovative unmanned aviation technologies with a focus on life-saving missions and applications, today announced a partnership to enable a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone for medical deliveries, first responder, sustainable logistics, and wildlife conservation operations. 

Use cases for drones are becoming increasingly popular as more operators search for solutions to enable long-range, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions while maintaining safety and compliance. This partnership addresses these new demands with the introduction of the Avy Aera VTOL winged drone, for long-distance flights with modular payload capabilities and integrated avionics systems. 

The Avy Aera drone will leverage the complete Auterion software platform, including the operating system, Auterion Enterprise PX4, the Auterion Ground Station software for flight planning, and Auterion Insights for flight, safety, and compliance management. 

“The Avy Aera gives emergency services, mapping companies, and medical delivery enterprises a new tool to cover large areas in a short time. The integration around open standards makes it easy for operators to integrate the Avy Aera drones within their existing services,” said Kevin Sartori, Auterion co-founder. 

Designed to meet the latest EU regulations and with a range of over 100 km carrying cargo or sensor payloads up to 1,5 kg, the Avy Aera is equipped with onboard redundant communication links (RF, LTE, Satlink) and ADS-B transponder. Avy Aera is able to operate BVLOS and is compliant with the upcoming EASA regulations, by following the SORA framework. 

“By taking our technological performance one step further and focusing on operations, we’ve developed an aircraft that is ready for the strict aviation regulations and to operate over densely populated areas. The Avy Aera is quick, sleek, reliable, and equipped to disrupt the aviation ecosystem,” said Patrique Zaman, CEO of Avy. 

The Avy Aera drone solution will be showcased at the Amsterdam Drone Week conference on December 4-6, 2019.