Skynode gives market access to enterprise-ready drones

Auterion, open-source-based software platform provider for enterprise and government drones, announced the release of Skynode, a first-of-its-kind reference design of a fully integrated and connected family of drone avionics modules.

Skynode streamlines the process of bringing enterprise-ready drones to market or retrofits existing products by helping to lower costs, save time, and reduce overall risk. Skynode breaks through the complexity of integrating drone hardware and software while leveraging the full capabilities and features of Auterion’s enterprise software platform.

Built by the creators of Pixhawk, the industry’s de-facto standard for drone hardware autopilots, Skynode leverages more than a decade of industry development and experience. It combines the latest Pixhawk flight controller (FMUv5x standard), mission computer, and wireless networking (LTE, WiFi). It also comes pre-installed with the Auterion Enterprise PX4 operating system, providing a comprehensive payload SDK, the communication interface for remote operations, and real-time video over LTE. Skynode also enables obstacle detection and avoidance, VIO positioning, Remote ID, and UTM. Skynode is directly integrated with the Auterion Cloud that enables predictive maintenance, aircraft and pilot management, compliance reports, and integrations into existing business workflows.

“Built on top of open standards like FMUv5x, PX4, and MAVLink, Skynode with Auterion PX4 enables drone manufacturers to rapidly enter new markets by making their products compatible with an ecosystem of payloads, components, services, and workflow integrations that give companies the tools they need to deploy large fleets of drones,“ said Lorenz Meier, co-founder of Auterion.

Skynode will launch in four configurations: an enterprise module, a module certified for U.S. government users, the core board for tighter airframe integration, and a version built by launch partner GE Aviation with Run-time Assurance (RTA) for drone operations that go beyond what Part 107 allows and require special waivers. The Skynode design can also be licensed to Auterion customers to build their own implementations for even deeper integration.

“GE Aviation’s new RTA product, combined with the Skynode reference design, is available to drone manufacturers and operators and will help them meet regulatory requirements for a multitude of BVLOS missions and flights over people including commercial and humanitarian deliveries, mapping and inspections,” said Larry Martin, vice president of Avionics Systems for GE Aviation.