Cloud Ground Control CGConnect cellular micro-modem for robotic vehicles

Cloud Ground Control, developed by Advanced Navigation, has announced the launch of its cellular micro-modem, CGConnect. Using 4G/5G networks, the modem links any uncrewed vehicle to the company’s cloud-based drone fleet management platform, enabling live streaming, command and control from a web browser.

Enterprises that rely on drones and robotics for business operation often own a diverse range of uncrewed vehicles that may not be compatible with one another. CGConnect is designed to solve this pain point by linking them to Cloud Ground Control — a SaaS platform that supports multi-user and multi-vehicle operations — turning them into a holistic, connected fleet regardless of manufacturer or model. It is suitable for robotic enterprises with a myriad of robotic fleets for emergency, security, construction, asset inspection, agriculture and environmental purposes.

Weighing only 55 g with similar sizing to a credit card, the modem is easily integrated into any product design and makes multi-drone operation simple and accessible to users of every skill grade. Remote users will gain instant access to the SaaS platform’s rich features, including real-time telemetry, cloud storage, video and payload data, all from a web browser simultaneously.

The flexible and customisable open platform operates on the MAVLink standard. This multiplies potential product applications and enables diverse autonomous vehicles and payloads to operate as a coordinated fleet. The platform runs AI algorithms in the cloud, relaying real-time camera feed data to the end user to support versatile missions such as object detection, tracking and thermal imaging.

The modem works flexibly with open-sourced libraries and is agnostic to the type of technology and vehicle enterprises may wish to use. It is available as a white label product, allowing users to rebrand the user interface in seconds to complement business branding and coding requirements.

The modem utilises military-grade encryption and authentication to safeguard data and IP from vulnerabilities and security breaches, helping users meet compliance obligations. It also supports edge AI to perform intensive object identification and classification directly on the vehicle for dynamic missions.