Luna Robotics, a defense technology startup, has used its own funding to develop a camera system that can help drone operators spot and intercept smuggler balloons at night.
The cameras help drones “see” balloons flying in the dark, allowing drone pilots to guide them to their target. The new technology addresses a problem that has been a headache for the Lithuanian government, military and the public, and has been under discussion for months as balloons have increasingly become a problem to air traffic.
Luna Robotics has improved the camera so that operations at night can be carried out as effectively as during the day, and a test flight showed that it is possible to successfully spot and track balloons in the dark. The company’s co-founder Elvinas Kukys said the plan is to create something simple, effective and that doesn’t cost tens or hundreds of thousands of euros. The company also wanted to avoid solutions that would force the army to buy new radars and spend years installing them. Kukis noted that the Lithuanian army already has working radar systems and drones, which prompted the company to focus on developing a camera and equipment that can be quickly integrated into existing systems.
The company has already tested the technology with the Lithuanian army and plans to improve it. Although the current focus is on smuggler balloons,
the camera could also be used to intercept other airborne objects.
The camera was developed and assembled in Lithuania, at the company’s expense. Kukis stressed that the army liked the solution, is interested and therefore continues to cooperate.
The government and the army have named the main challenges posed by smuggler balloons as their flying altitude, difficulty in spotting them and the risks associated with their possible landing site. Edvinas Kerza, a representative of the defense innovation organization Scalewolf, said that expert teams are actively working on finding solutions that would allow them to confront the threat from the air.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Economics announced a one-million-euro competition a few months ago, inviting technology companies to create solutions that could be quickly implemented to combat smuggler balloons. 35 companies applied, of which three were selected: IT Logika, Teltonika EMS, and Dangaus Šviesos. Economy Minister Edvinas Grikšas said that the country will ultimately choose one of the three proposals.
The Ministry of Economics is expected to announce the results of the competition this month. Luna Robotics did not participate in the competition because it did not meet the criteria – the startup is too small and only recently founded.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2830544/lithuanian-startup-develops-night-vision-camera-to-track-smuggling-balloons
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