CelaTech?

Southern Company has become the first utility company in the US to secure a Part 91 exemption for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations from the Federal Aviation Administration to use SwissDrones' platform. The 14 CFR Part 91 exemption allows the firm to use unmanned aerial systems (UAS) developed by SwissDrones and operated in partnership with aerial data acquisition and inspection specialist Phoenix Air Unmanned, LLC. Southern Company has been working with Phoenix to assess the viability of using UAS for infrastructure inspections since 2016. “Our partnership with Phoenix Air Unmanned has been instrumental in achieving this regulatory milestone,”?said Dean Barefield, Southern Company’s UAS programme manager. “This achievement is more than a technological milestone – it’s a testament to Southern Company’s role as a trailblazer in regulatory progress,”?said Kevin Brown, CAM, Southern Company’s general manager of system aviation operations. Read full: https://lnkd.in/ev8Aq-wP

Just a handful of the assets our pioneering uncrewed aircraft have successfully measured methane emissions from since 2018. Flylogix deliver an accurate and transparent measurement within hours of the survey without any of the cost, risk or environmental impact of mobilising contractors offshore. #AlwaysGoingFurther #DroneForGood #Methane

It’s a big day at Apptronik! Today, we announced our Series A funding round with a total investment of $350M, co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with participation from Google. ?? This investment will allow us to accelerate the development of next-generation humanoid robots, push the boundaries of humanoid design and development, and meet skyrocketing customer demand. We’ll also be growing our world-class team and scaling our operations as we work to commercialize Apollo in 2025. ?? Our CEO and Co-Founder Jeff Cardenas said, “By combining cutting-edge AI with hardware engineered for meaningful interaction, we're shaping a future where robots become true partners in driving progress. It’s exciting to have investors who believe in this vision and are committed to helping us bring it to life.” ?? Thank you to all of our incredible investors, customers, partners, and team for helping us achieve this milestone! Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTj8MRPD #Funding #SeriesA #humanoidrobotics #AI #EmbodiedAI

AV announced it has been awarded its third delivery order for Switchblade? loitering munition systems in the amount of $288 million as part of U.S. Army’s Directed Requirement (DR) for Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS).?This is the third award in the last 12 months, totaling $471.3 million.?This award is the third such delivery order awarded to AV as part of the multi-year contract with a ceiling value of $990M, which was secured in August 2024. AV is honored to provide the US Army with the advanced capabilities needed to support our warfighters. https://lnkd.in/g4JyQiXv #Switchblade600?#LoiteringMunitions?#Army?#DefenseTech

Get ready to dive into the world of entrepreneurship and innovation in Texas! In the latest Driving Alpha episode, Capital Factory CEO and founder Joshua Baer shares how his team is transforming startups and shaping the future of venture capital. ?? Highlights include: The rise of Austin as a startup powerhouse ?? Dual-use tech and working with the government ?? How Capital Factory invests in unstoppable founders ?? ??? Full episode: https://lnkd.in/eHXe8YbE A special thanks to our sponsor Affinity.co!

Phoenix Air Unmanned, LLC (PAU) has announced the successful completion of a 320-mile pipeline patrol in just 7.6 flight hours using a single unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Conducted for Shell Pipeline Company (SPLC) in Louisiana, the achievement surpasses the project’s goal of patrolling 300 miles in a single flight day. The flights were performed under PAU’s nationwide beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) regulatory approval, showcasing advancements in critical infrastructure inspection. ???? https://hubs.la/Q031-0kB0 #drones #BVLOS #UAS #InfrastructureInspection #Shell #PhoenixAirUnmanned #FAA #PipelinePatrol #inspections #PAU

Daily Hard Tech Headlines: - America’s Frontier Fund has raised $175M. The Arlington, Virginia-based VC firm invests in frontier technology such as advanced manufacturing, synthetic biology, energy, space, and more, with a national security focus. - Motmot has raised a $1.34M pre-seed round. The Detroit-based startup is focused on developing autonomous underwater robots to support water infrastructure. - Blue Bear Capital has raised $200M for their third fund. The fund will focus on hard tech areas like energy, climate tech, and infrastructure. - TURION SPACE, based in Irvine, California, has been awarded a $32M+ contract from the Space Systems Command at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. They will focus on developing multi-payload satellites and real-time command and control. - Allen Control Systems, the C-UxS startup, has opened a new office in Oklahoma. The office is located at the Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator. - K2 Space Corporation has landed a $60M STRATFI with the Space Force focused on launching their first satellite in MEO in 2026. - Shell has awarded Subsea7 a contract to design, procure, build, and install subsea infrastructure for Shell's Silvertip Phase 3 in the Gulf of Mexico. - The Virtus Innovation Center has launched. The 40K sq. ft. facility will support defense tech startups. Based in Arlington, Virginia, the hub will include R&D space, access to SCIF, coworking, and more. - Figure has announced delivery of their F.02 humanoid robots to commercial customers, marking Figure as now revenue-generating.