The ULTRA UGV maneuvers by way of woods with a modular and built-in counter-drone functionality in a current area demonstration. | Supply: Overland AI
Overland AI, a developer of autonomous floor methods for protection, in the present day introduced it raised $100 million in funding. The corporate plans to make use of the funding to satisfy the rising demand for its ULTRA automobile as militaries speed up the combination of floor autonomy immediately into operational models.
“Demand for floor autonomy has moved decisively from experimentation to operational integration,” said Stephanie Bonk, co-founder and president of Overland AI. “This funding permits us to scale alongside the models adopting our know-how. We’re coaching warfighters immediately and incorporating steady suggestions to make sure our methods carry out in real-world situations, whereas constructing the belief required for operational use.”
Based in 2022, Overland AI stated it’s powering floor operations for contemporary protection. The Seattle-based firm has carried out greater than a decade of analysis in robotics and machine studying. It stated that and its “area test-forward ethos” allow it to ship superior autonomy for unit commanders.
Overland AI to construct on 2025 momentum
Final yr, Overland AI accomplished the DARPA RACER (Robotic Autonomy in Complicated Environments with Resiliency) platform, after three years of testing and iterating its platform autonomy.
The corporate stated it has transitioned its dependable and resilient functionality to finish customers by increasing operations throughout a variety of missions, together with counter-UAS (uncrewed aerial methods), ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), contested logistics and resupply, breaching, and extra.
Overland AI is already working with formations throughout the U.S. Military, Marine Corps, and Particular Operations Command (SOCOM), together with the 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 173rd Airborne Brigade, thirty sixth Engineer Brigade, and 2nd Marine Logistics Group. It has additionally not too long ago partnered with the California Division of Forestry and Fireplace Safety to assist wildfire mitigation and suppression.
“We’ve got seen such success this previous yr as a result of the bottom autonomy we’re delivering to warfighters truly works,” stated Byron Boots, co-founder and CEO of Overland AI. “We have been proper to unravel the toughest downside first by constructing core autonomy for particular person automobile intelligence. It’s the prerequisite for every thing else that follows, together with collaborative autonomy throughout a number of automobiles.”
Autonomous methods make breaching missions safer
Breaching missions contain among the most advanced and harmful environments in floor fight. Robotics may also help take away fight engineers from the purpose of breach, the bodily location at an enemy impediment—comparable to a minefield, wire, or barrier—the place a drive makes an attempt to create a lane for passage.
Overland AI partnered with troopers from the thirty sixth Engineer Brigade, twentieth Engineer Battalion, and 59th Fight Engineer Firm (Armored) to combine floor autonomy into the breach of an impediment belt. They mixed their property in a human-machine built-in formation. The firm stated this mix superior technical capabilities for the Military and considerably decreased danger to troopers.
8VC led Overland AI’s fairness spherical, with continued participation from Point72 Ventures, Ascend Enterprise Capital, Shasta Ventures, and Overmatch Ventures. The funding additionally included new assist from Valor Fairness Companions and StepStone Group, alongside different institutional traders. The overall quantity raised features a $20 million enterprise debt facility from TriplePoint Capital.
