Voltair: Globally distributed network of autonomous drones for Earth…

Globally distributed network of autonomous drones for Earth…

Voltair is building the world's first globally distributed network of autonomous drones for Earth observation. Power utilities are the perfect first customer. Aging infrastructure and extreme weather drive the need for millimeter-scale inspection data on the power grid. Utilities spend tens of billions of dollars every year just looking at their own equipment. Autonomous drone fleets will enable utilities to inspect 7 million miles of infrastructure more frequently, quickly, and accurately. Our long-range, weatherized flying robots work with charging pads installed directly on utility poles. Each new pad unlocks 1000 square miles of coverage. With a charging network deployed on the power grid, we can serve existing multi-billion dollar data markets in road, rail and telecom inspection at 10x lower prices while enabling entirely new applications in hyperlocal weather monitoring, forestry, construction, search & rescue, and insurance. We envision a future in which drone "instances" are requested on-demand through our platform, enabling any application builder to serve these critical markets without ever operating their own hardware.

Active Founders

Hayden Gosch

Founder

Hayden is the co-founder and CTO of Voltair. He studied electrical and computer engineering at the University of Washington, where he focused on power electronics. He spent two years doing system protection engineering at Seattle City Light and later worked in R&D at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL).

Hayden Gosch

Founder

Hayden is the co-founder and CTO of Voltair. He studied electrical and computer engineering at the University of Washington, where he focused on power electronics. He spent two years doing system protection engineering at Seattle City Light and later worked in R&D at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL).

Avi Gotskind

Founder

Avi is the co-founder and CGO of Voltair. He worked as a consultant on GTM and government affairs strategy across aerospace and space companies, including ExoAnalytic Solutions, Virgin Galactic, and briefly Amazon Kuiper. Formerly a member of the National Youth Orchestra.

Avi Gotskind

Founder

Avi is the co-founder and CGO of Voltair. He worked as a consultant on GTM and government affairs strategy across aerospace and space companies, including ExoAnalytic Solutions, Virgin Galactic, and briefly Amazon Kuiper. Formerly a member of the National Youth Orchestra.

Ronan Nopp

Founder

Ronan is the co-founder and CEO of Voltair. He independently designed and tuned the controls system for a manned eVTOL aircraft while still in school. Ronan turned down his dream job working on Starship at SpaceX to build Voltair with zero traction or investors.

Ronan Nopp

Founder

Ronan is the co-founder and CEO of Voltair. He independently designed and tuned the controls system for a manned eVTOL aircraft while still in school. Ronan turned down his dream job working on Starship at SpaceX to build Voltair with zero traction or investors.

Warren Weissbluth

Founder

Warren is the co-founder & COO of Voltair. He studied Operations Research engineering at Rice University. Warren has previously worked for 2x NSF funded startups, where he helped raise a $1M SBIR. He interned for Boeing (structures engineering) during his freshman summer.

Warren Weissbluth

Founder

Warren is the co-founder & COO of Voltair. He studied Operations Research engineering at Rice University. Warren has previously worked for 2x NSF funded startups, where he helped raise a $1M SBIR. He interned for Boeing (structures engineering) during his freshman summer.

Company Launches

Voltair: Drones that Charge on Power Lines

See original launch post

https://youtu.be/ZSnkcbXWf7Q

Tl;dr - We build drones that charge directly on transmission lines. Our drones can remain deployed indefinitely, positioned where utility companies need them most, and ready to inspect power lines at a moment’s notice.

Background

The American power grid faces unprecedented challenges. Extreme weather is more frequent, more destructive, and less predictable. From 2000 to 2023, 80% of all major outages were caused by extreme weather events. At the same time, power utilities are expected to deliver higher reliability, faster restoration, and stronger wildfire and safety outcomes. Utility investments in distribution grid hardening nearly tripled from 2003 to 2023.

Utilities cannot manage what they cannot see. Today, critical information on the physical grid arrives at the speed of a person reaching the problem. Linemen need high fidelity information faster to prioritize and act decisively.

Public Utilities

Our immediate focus is providing utilities with rapid infrastructure assessments across large areas following storms, power outages, and fires.

At scale, our technology enables a step change in how utilities operate. A linemen or engineer can request imagery of a specific line span or structure and receive it immediately. A downed pole in a high-risk residential area can be located and assessed quickly. Voltair can support routine, day-to-day operational visibility as well as urgent, high-consequence events.

See more here https://voltairlabs.com/

If you’re interested in piloting our service, reach out to avi@voltairlabs.com

YC Photos