U.S.-based defense technology company Shield AI is expanding its business in Australia with the acquisition of Sentient Vision Systems, a company that provides artificial intelligence-enabled imagery.
On Thursday, Shield AI announced its “definitive agreement” with the Australian firm to “merge AI expertise and operational understanding to deliver superior intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.”
The two sides have previously worked to co-develop a visual detection and ranging-enabled wide-area motion imagery solution called Sentient Observer.
According to Shield AI President and co-founder Brandon Tseng, Sentient Observer will address the U.S. Department of Defense’s requirement for affordable drones that deliver monitoring coverage over tens of thousands of square miles without communication links.
“DOD can begin augmenting and replacing their legacy solutions for a distributed, low-cost, low-risk solution that doesn’t break the bank if an aircraft is shot down,” Tseng said.
Shield AI is set to fly Sentient Observer within the year using its Hivemind AI pilot, which Tseng envisions will eventually work as the aircraft manufacturing industry’s version of the Android operating system.
They will endeavor to have Hivemind run on every aircraft’s original equipment manufacturer just as Android powers nearly all mobile devices, the Shield AI co-founder said.