NearsLab Unveils Independently Developed Small Autonomous Flight Drone Technology

'IR Day Presentation for Expanding Core Technology Application'

Autonomous flight drone solution startup NearsLab (CEO Choi Jae-hyuk) announced on the 30th that it has unveiled its autonomous flight small drone technology developed to protect South Korea's safety to defense industry officials.

On the 29th, NearsLab presented its independently developed 'Universal Autonomous Flight Drone Platform' at the 'IR Day for Expanding the Application of Core Technologies of the Base Headquarters' held at the LW Convention in Seoul, hosted by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's Base Power Project Headquarters. The event was attended by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Agency for Defense Development, as well as Korean Air, Hanwha Systems, and Hanwha Aerospace.

Jung Young-seok, CTO of Nears Lab, is explaining the self-developed autonomous flight small drone technology.

As drones play a crucial role in the Russia-Ukraine war, domestic technology is becoming increasingly important in the defense and security sectors, which are sensitive to information leaks. Additionally, with the decrease in military service personnel, the need for reliable unmanned forces is rising. Based on its autonomous flight solution recognized for its technological prowess in global safety inspection fields, NearsLab developed a small drone specialized for short-range reconnaissance missions.

NearsLab's autonomous flight drone is equipped with optical and infrared cameras as well as an LRF (Laser Range Finder) camera, enabling flight even at night. It applies a 2-axis gimbal system to secure a 180-degree field of view. This represents a groundbreaking advancement compared to existing drones, which are mostly limited to one-directional shooting.

The drone also supports swarm flight, allowing multiple drones to simultaneously carry out wide-area reconnaissance missions. With computer vision, it can perform stable missions even in GPS shadow zones such as indoors, underground, or urban areas.

Jung Young-seok, NearsLab's Chief Technology Officer (CTO), who gave the presentation that day, said, "The small autonomous flight drone can perform close-range reconnaissance missions not only in open fields but also in various operational environments such as urban and underground spaces." He added, "The drone developed with NearsLab's proprietary technology will provide useful data in diverse mission environments."