Lighthouse Avionics, an Ohio venture capital-backed technology startup, was created specifically to address the needs identified above for integrated air management systems to support commercial fully autonomous beyond-visual-line-of-site operations for unmanned aerial systems. Lighthouse has been working with key stakeholders such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Justice, state of Ohio, and the City of Hilliard over the past year to implement a low-cost scalable airspace management system which will enable fully autonomous drone operations at local, regional, and statewide scales. As the company was designing this solution, labeled Virtual Control Towers (VCTs), engaged municipalities voiced their strong desire for a fully autonomous drone solution for their fire, EMT, and police teams. As such, Lighthouse has designed a vertical takeoff and horizontal flight First Responder drone solutions, which is capable of safe coordinated fully autonomous operations. Working with the FAA, Lighthouse designed in all of the redundant controls, safety mechanisms, detect and avoid, and other features which will accelerate its approval for fully autonomous operations. Given the strong demand for such a solution across the 50+ municipalities surveyed, Lighthouse turned the focus of development to the integrated commercial drone solution for First Responders. The point-click-fly capability embodied in the Lighthouse First Responder drone solution opens the door to faster and more efficient response times, increased situational awareness, improved safety, and a litany of other benefits desired by Americas First Responders. During the Phase I Air Force customer discovery process, Lighthouse was approached by numerous DAF Emergency Management Planning and Operational (EMPO) professionals specifically requesting adaptation of Lighthouses First Responder drone solution to support DAF emergency response activities. Air Force Global Strike Commands EMPO NCOIC became the representative of the need and committed to being our MOU End-User. The DAF professionals were most concerned when a response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or Explosive (CBRNE) events was involved. This need was further validated through engagement with several research directorates at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Specifically, the Aerospace Systems Directorate was initiating a program on development of a sensor agnostic low-cost drone solution. The directorates ALOBO UAS program committed to being our MOU Customer. In summation, this project will result in a CBRNE sensor agnostic artificially intelligent autonomous drone which is integrated into the Air Forces existing common UAS control software, Vigilant Spirit. The delivered solution will greatly improve the safety and effectiveness of emergency management planning and response, while enabling a litany of other value-added applications across the Air Force.
