Daily Markup #784: Aereo’s drones are creating jobs for people while settling disputes and increasing financial access for farmers

July 12, 2023 · 2 min read

Drones beyond defense

500-backed drone company Aereo (formerly known as Aarav Unmanned Systems) was one of the first in India to recognize the potential of drones beyond defense-related applications. “We saw that drones will start playing a very important role for businesses and the lives of common people,” Co-founder & CEO Vipul Singh said.
But Aereo is not just a drone operator. They own intellectual property in the form of designs and trademarks. “We have been doing a good amount of deep tech work in terms of hardware, software, data analytics,” he shared.
Aereo currently manufactures two types of drones – multicopter and hybrid – designed specifically for mapping and surveying, largely autonomously. “This means there is no active joystick-based piloting required,” Vipul explained. Their multicopter bird can cover about 250 acres in a single 40-minute flight, and even withstand harsh conditions – such as extremely cold temperatures, high winds, hilly areas, and heat in scorching hot desert regions.
To date, the team has mapped 7 million acres, comprising more than 500 opencast mines across over 50 cities. They are currently mapping an area of 60,000 square kilometers for the Karnataka government.
Drones are immensely valuable for digitizing land records. Collecting high-quality, accurate data at a significantly higher speed and less cost increases employment opportunities as this endeavor requires many skilled drone pilots. Moreover, accurate digital records of properties will enable farmers and their families to receive financial services from banks, settle property disputes, and increase their overall asset value.
One of the main challenges Aereo is encountering is the lack of drone talents. Vipul shared there is a notable absence of a curriculum focused on drone building.
To tackle this, Aereo signed an MoU with SJC Institute of Technology to open a Centre of Excellence. “We felt that it is our responsibility as a company to share our requirements and also help create a curriculum which can ensure that when people go through that curriculum, they are ready to serve in a fast-paced technical ecosystem,” he said.
Through the program, Aereo wants to train the youth, especially in rural parts of the country, and provide them with employment opportunities. “The aim is to train somewhere between 400-500 drone pilots every year,” Vipul revealed.
Read the full interview here.