Minnesota University takes flight with Sentera

Sentera, a US-based unmanned aerial vehicle developer, partnered Minnesota University to create a high-precision autopilot toolkit that can be used with its drones.

The project has been supported by the Minnesota Discovery, Research, and Innovation Economy initiative that connects university research with emerging and key industries to solve problems.

Sentera produces drones, including all the required software, hardware and sensors. With the help of the university, the company has developed a toolkit to enable researchers to quickly create advanced navigation, guidance and control technologies.

The toolkit has been released under an open-source licence so it can be used by the wider community.

In October 2015, Sentera raised $5m from an undisclosed strategic investor.

Eric Taipale, chief executive of Sentera, said: “This project is an excellent example of collaboration between Minnesota University and industry. From a technical perspective, performance is outstanding. But we have also created a product that is valuable not just to our business, but to the broader community working to develop the next generation of capabilities for unmanned systems.”

Brian Taylor, director of the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Laboratories at Minnesota University, said: “Minnesota University and Sentera have a long history of collaborating on research and technology development. Creating a high-quality, open-source autopilot was a natural fit for our organisations. It provides a platform for ground-breaking research at the university and other research institutions along with a potentially rapid path to commercial application.”