Swedish drone-tech company Everdrone is beefing up its industry altitude with the creation of an advisory board that sports some heavy hitters.

The board will feature ex-AirMap CTO Daniel Alarcon-Rubio, former microdrones Sales and Marketing Manager Michael Thoss and Jeremy Wigmore, the former CEO of Aerialtronics.

Everdrone develops software and sensor technology for comprehensive autonomous drone operations.

“What we have done is to create a generic high-performing software platform enabling critical capabilities for BVLOS operations”, says Mats Sällström, Everdrone’s CEO.

“Most prominent of these capabilities is probably our 360-degree depth-sensing system, providing the drone with an unprecedented level of local awareness. This allows for extremely precise sense-and-avoid capabilities, which is crucial when operating autonomously in close relation to people or buildings.”

Sällström said the company wants to transition Everdrone’s focus from research and development to commercialization, which led to the launch of the new advisory board.

With a 20-year tech career, Alarcon-Rubio worked within large corporations such as HERE, Motorola, Google and Nokia as well as start-ups such as Sensei, Sendo, and Symbian Foundation

“No doubt we are heading towards autonomous intelligent vehicles, in the broadest sense, that will require a significant amount of sophisticated technology. That is why I will personally contribute my passion and energy to Everdrone since they have already proven they are heading in the right direction,” Alarcon-Rubio said.

Since 2011, Thoss has worked in the drone sector since 2011, representing microdrones, a German drone firm most notable for its partnership with a lifeguard association that deploys UAVs loaded with a compact rescue device designed for water emergencies.

Wigmore helmed drone developer Dutch drone manufacturer Aerialtronics from 2014-17. The company develops “intelligent drones” specifically designed for inspection work on cell towers and other infrastructure.

Thoss and Wigmore also work with several global UAV industry groups, including Commercial UAV Expo Europe, through the company Ethoss Group.

“The team at Everdrone have diligently researched the market and designed their technology to fit. It is exciting to see, what will be released to the market soon and how it is going to impact drone operations, be it in VLOS or BVLOS,” Thoss said.