Skyat
Skyat provides visual localization technology for UAVs operating in visually challenging environments like snow-covered surfaces, dense forests, and open water. The system pairs intermittent visual matches with IMU, visual odometry, and dead reckoning to maintain accurate navigation between matches. It masks itself as a GNSS receiver, enabling seamless integration with MAVLink and NMEA-compatible flight controllers such as PX4, ArduPilot, AuterionOS, and MicroPilot.
- Drones & Uncrewed Systems
- Aerospace
- Hardware
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) often struggle with visual localization in environments that lack distinct visual features, such as smooth snow-covered surfaces, dense forests, or open water. These conditions provide few reliable cues for camera-based navigation systems, leading to degraded positioning accuracy or complete loss of localization.
Solution
Skyat provides visual localization technology specifically engineered for UAVs operating in visually challenging environments. The system pairs intermittent visual matches with alternative positioning methods—inertial measurement units (IMUs), visual odometry, and dead reckoning—to maintain accurate navigation between successful visual matches. Skyat improves its position estimates from the last known location using these alternative means until it finds another visual match. The device masks itself as a GNSS receiver, enabling seamless integration with any platform that supports MAVLink or NMEA protocols, including PX4, ArduPilot, AuterionOS, and MicroPilot, without requiring custom software changes.
Target Audience
Skyat targets UAV manufacturers, drone operators, and defense or commercial organizations that require reliable navigation in GPS-denied or visually featureless environments such as polar regions, dense forests, and over-water missions.
Features
- Visual localization capable of finding matches on smooth surfaces, dense forests, and water where standard systems fail
- Sensor fusion combining IMU, visual odometry, and dead reckoning to bridge gaps between visual matches
- GNSS-masking design that presents the device as a standard GNSS receiver to host flight controllers
- Compatible with MAVLink and NMEA protocols, supporting PX4, ArduPilot, AuterionOS, and MicroPilot platforms
- Integration with third-party satellite imagery providers, including privately available imagery
- Mounted on the UAV belly for unobstructed nadir ground view; consumes 15W normal / 30W peak