Skysense debuts charging pad for Parrot Bebop drone at CES 2015

Among the 3,600 exhibitors at the 2015 International CES in Las Vegas this week is Skysense, a German firm debuting a smart battery module designed for the Parrot Bebop Drone.

According to company CEO Andrea Puiatti, Parrot is interested in collaborating with startups such as Skysense on innovative products. In addition to demonstrating the charging pad at CES, Puiatti is also discussing the company’s vision and its next big challenge.

For the first time in more than 40 years, the annual consumer electronics event features an Unmanned Systems Marketplace—one of 20 category-specific areas. The new marketplace highlights the expanding technology in unmanned aerial systems.

"This year, drones are playing a significant role at CES 2015," Puiatti said. "Drone technology has been readily embraced, increasing the awareness and adoption rate of new technologies like Skysense and DroneDeploy who represent the next step in drones automation."

Skysense’s Charging Pad for unmanned aerial systems is designed to solve the problem of recharging UAVs remotely, allowing operators to fly fully autonomous missions. To charge its batteries, a UAV equipped with a contact point on its landing gear lands on a charging station.

Puiatti said Skysense has received a positive response from early customers in the global UAV community and has partnered with other companies in the drone industry. The Charging Pads are already in commercial use in Europe and the company is taking orders and the pads available for delivery in February 2015.

Since its inception in April 2014, Skysense started delivering the first units, joined the Start-Up Chile family and announced a fundraising campaign for its new product line.

Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association, CES is considered the world’s gathering place for consumer technology businesses.