SOLVING INDUSTRY CHALLENGES THROUGH DRONES

54 SEPT/OCT 2022

Airial Robotics developed a disruptive technology solution for autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicles. This technology is solving industry challenges, which includes safety, performance and operational usability. Jörg explains, “We can fly in almost all weather, are the least noisy aircraft in the industry, and provide natural redundancy for ultimate safety.”

Jörg Schamuhn is the Co-Founder and CEO of Airial Robotics. Jörg grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He obtained his masters in Air and Space Technology from the University in Munich. He states, “After that, I was trained as a Fighter Pilot in Texas and from then on was sold to the United States of America.” The mission of Airial Robotics is to “build the safest possible uncrewed aerial vehicle to help shape the uprising market of logistics, surveillance and mapping using drones.”

Airial Robotics is looking to be part of the, “transformation from experimentation which is happening since 2017 and commercialization where drone operations will bring benefits to the society and will be commercially viable for operators.” Not only this, but they would also like to help decarbonize aerial missions.

Last November, Airial Robotics applied for the LIFT program in North Dakota. From the program, they were awarded a loan which allowed them to develop their autonomous uncrewed aerial solution further. They opened up an office in Grand Forks, which is allowing them to develop relationships with local businesses.

As Jörg reflects on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, he explains that a low he endured was when they owned a company in Italy and were confronted with terminating all employees after a 12 month ownership because the employees did not “see the value in a strategy and big picture.”

Jörg states that a high in his entrepreneurial journey is, “Introducing a disruptive technology in the RC Hobby market against all odds and against all expert opinions and changing the product in use and the complete global market within a period of three years. That being accompanied by moving from 0% global market share to about 65% global market share with a highly motivated and very strong team behind it was the best experience in my business life.”

When asked how the community can support Jörg and Airial Robotics, he explains, “Communities can help by offering projects and helping with permissions to demonstrate the viability and safety of autonomous missions. Secondly, communities can support the build up of an ecosystem by attractive education programs to create the next generation of young professionals who will run the ecosystem of autonomous operations.”

Readers can learn more about Jörg and Airial Robotics by visiting their Website (airialrobotics.com), LinkedIn and Instagram (airial_robotics).

Senator Hoeven addressing the audience

Sen. Hoeven announces partnership between NDSU, USDA and Grand Farm

By Kristin Harner, Director / Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven announced a federal appropriation that will develop a partnership between North Dakota State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service and Grand Farm around research, development, and educational opportunities in agriculture technology. This announcement occurred at an event held at NDSU.

“Grand Farm is about leveraging North Dakota’s global leadership in agriculture and the dynamic technology sector that we’ve built in our state to develop and implement the next generation of precision agriculture,” said Senator Hoeven. “That means reducing producers’ input costs, improving their yields and empowering them to continue providing the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. Moreover, by building upon the intersection of agriculture and technology, North Dakota will be positioned to realize new opportunities for investment and job growth for years to come.”

“This important partnership between NDSU, Grand Farm and the USDA will provide more opportunities for students to gain experience in a variety of agriculture technology-related careers,” said NDSU President David Cook. “I look forward to this work leading to other exciting partnerships between NDSU and the private sector.”

“This exciting project highlights North Dakota's leadership in agriculture technology and demonstrates our state's top-tier research capabilities,” said Mark Watne, president of North Dakota Farmers Union and Grand Farm board member. “We are thankful for Sen. Hoeven's leadership in making this project a reality. Grand Farm is committed to working with NDSU and USDA ARS alongside growers and industry partners to advance these technologies and make sure they are relevant and valuable to those who will ultimately use them."

Grand Farm, led by Emerging Prairie, enables technology to feed the world by bringing together stakeholders to facilitate collaboration on innovations solving some of the world’s largest challenges in agriculture technology.

NDSU Agricultural Affairs works to meet the needs of people on a local and global level by educating students with interests in agriculture, food systems and natural resources; extending NDSU information to all North Dakota citizens; and advancing scientific knowledge through innovative research.

Speakers at the press conference included U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, N.D. Rep. Michael Howe, USDA ARS deputy administrator Marlen Eve, NDSU student body president and recent Grand Farm intern Christian Walth, NDSU President David Cook, Grand Farm board member Mark Watne, and agriculture technology entrepreneur Barry Batcheller.

Additional coverage of the press conference is available on the following Facebook pages: Grand Farm (/thegrandfarm), NDSU College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources (/NDSUAg) and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (/ NorthDakotaAgExperimentStation).

A federal appropriation will develop a partnership between NDSU, USDA ARS and Grand Farm.

Left to Right

Senator John Hoeven, USDA ARS Deputy Administrator Marlen Eve, NDSU President David Cook, Grand Farm board member Mark Watne, Ag technology entrepreneur Barry Batcheller and Co-founder of Grand Farm and CEO & Co-founder of Emerging Prairie Greg Tehven