SANTA CLARA, Calif.,
March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --
Impossible Aerospace, a Silicon Valley manufacturer of advanced
unmanned aircraft, today announced a product called Air Support
that it says will forever transform the world's cities and the way
they respond to emergencies.
Impossible Air Support, the company said, is a turn-key program
that lets cities dispatch drones directly to the scene of their 911
calls to improve emergency response times. Mounted on top of
tall city buildings, the drones are controlled by police officers
and firefighters from secure command stations within their
departments. Once deployed, they can provide a live video feed
of an evolving situation to responders on the ground, intervene in
a situation with sirens or lights, or even deliver crucial supplies
like life jackets or AEDs.
The company says Air Support transforms the way cities respond
to several emergencies. In addition to providing an eye in the sky
during active crimes, Air Support can autonomously search for
missing people both at day and at night. The US-1 aircraft
powering the system are equipped with powerful thermal cameras, the
company says, which can see through smoke and help coordinate the
response to massive structural fires.
While the company expects its drone technology to be
controversial, founder Spencer Gore
defended the idea of equipping cities with drone
technology. "Each minute shaved off 911 response times is
estimated to save 10,000 lives per year," he said, "and the average
response time today is almost 10 minutes. The right
drone can respond in one minute."
The company says it is now in "Phase One" of its Air Support
deployment, with several police and fire departments across the
state of California now flying its
US-1 aircraft. Phase two, it says, will involve a series of
hardware and software updates that enable cities to perform more
advanced missions using their aircraft.
"The idea of chasing criminals using drones might sound and look
a bit like Blade Runner, but it will undeniably save lives," said
Gore. "On average, one person is killed every day in vehicle
pursuits — often, innocent bystanders."
Air Support drones will be equipped with sirens, spotlights and
loudspeakers, the company said, so that first responders may use
them to provide instructions from the air to emergency victims or
suspects.
While it may be disorienting at first, the company said, the
sight of drones in the sky should offer residents a feeling of
security.
"Any parent who wakes up to the gut-wrenching discovery that
their child is missing should know that every possible technology
is being deployed to bring him or her back safely. With Air
Support, that now includes a fleet of aircraft that can be deployed
in seconds," said Gore.
The company says Air Support lets cities subscribe to a turn-key
aviation program for a fraction of the cost of a helicopter
program. It includes the US-1 aircraft, training, compliance
paperwork, maintenance, and constant hardware and software
upgrades.
Thousands of public agencies around the United States have adopted drones to help
responders during critical situations, but virtually none are
responding to 911 calls directly with them. A notable
exception is the Chula Vista
Police Department, which trialed the approach as part of the FAA's
Integration Pilot Program. However, in 2019, a key software vendor
dropped support for their DJI Matrice drones due to ongoing
cybersecurity concerns around Chinese-made aircraft within American
law enforcement agencies.
Impossible Aerospace says it takes pride in being an American
drone manufacturer. "We design and assemble our aircraft all in one
factory in the United States,"
said Gore.
Air Support is available for demo and early access to qualified
public safety agencies by contacting info@impossible.aero.
Watch a video introduction to the technology here:
https://impossible.aero/air-support/.
About Impossible Aerospace
Impossible Aerospace builds high-performance electric aircraft
that save lives. Founded in 2016 by former Tesla engineer
Spencer Gore, the company unveiled
its US-1 aircraft in 2018, unique for its long endurance and U.S.
origin. The company is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Eclipse
Venture, and Airbus Ventures.
Press Contact: Allen@Impossible.Aero
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