This Swedish startup bags half a million funding for using drones and AI to automate damage detection on power lines
Based out of Stockholm, Skyqraft conducts aerial inspection of power lines through unmanned airplanes and machine learning. In the latest development, the Swedish company has secured $505,000 (approx €454,080) led by startup generator and investor Antler along with several angels, including Claes Ekström and Tomas Kåberger.
The company is planning to use the new funding to build machine learning software further and expand the map user interface for its customers. Skyqraft will use a part of the funding to build a drone operation team and test new apparatus as well.
Image credit: Antler
Founded in 2019 by David Almroth, Sakina Turabali, and Umar Chughtai, the company aims to revolutionise the infrastructure inspection market by making it safer, more efficient, and, most importantly, sustainable.
The solution features 360-degree HD videos and hi-res images of the assets inspected, an automated map that pinpoints all the inspection information, and enhanced images to improve planning and service recovery after a storm. Upon collecting high volumes of image data, it will be used as inputs to a machine learning-based risk assessment system.
SkyQraft’s aerial inspection is cheaper and safer than current procedures, which can be managed remotely; inspections can take place more frequently, preventing more accidents from taking place. Last, the startup won Iberdrola’s ‘Startup Challenge: Resilience to Natural Disasters.’
Main image picture credits: Antler
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