Robot camera network operates at an altitude of 26,000 m

American startup Near Space Labs achieved a notable milestone when deploying the Swift network – a robot camera equipped with AI, flying high thanks to weather balloons, Interesting Engineering reported on November 21. This achievement marks the establishment of the first stratospheric robotic network providing ultra-high resolution aerial imagery across the United States.

The Swift robot camera has high resolution and accurately captures at a distance of up to 7 cm, equivalent to, or even higher than, traditional aerial survey quality. Swift is emission-free and capable of capturing up to 1,000 square kilometers of images per flight. Operating at altitudes from 18,000 – to 26,000 m, this compact autonomous robot weighs only 5.5 kg.

The nationwide deployment and image enhancement of Near Space Labs is important to the home insurance industry in the US. In 2023, the industry experienced its worst crisis in decades with losses exceeding $101 billion. These results are due in large part to the increased frequency and severity of weather events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires.

The root cause of the crisis is the huge gap between growing climate risks and insurers’ ability to assess them accurately. “Many insurance companies still rely on 1950s-era aerial data collection methods to assess 2024 climate risks,” said Rema Matevosyan, CEO of Near Space Labs.

Near Space Labs’ new network will provide detailed data, updated quarterly. This unprecedented frequency of updates allows insurers to monitor changing weather conditions, assess risk more accurately, and price policies accordingly. This could allow them to return to markets they previously had to leave.

The Swift network has many advantages compared to satellites, drones or airplanes. Weather balloons can reach twice the altitude of cruise planes. “Our balloons capture 800,000 drones in a single flight. Meanwhile, the planes will fly in a snake-like pattern, moving back and forth for weeks to capture data that we can capture in a few hours. This means we can do it faster, better and cheaper,” Matevosyan said.