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US and Israeli forces have called the system the “most mission-capable indoor drone”.
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Brisbane-based EPE has confirmed that it has partnered with US company Shield AI to bring their Nova 2 uncrewed system to the Australian and New Zealand markets.
According to a release from EPE, the drone employs cutting-edge path planning and computer vision algorithms that enable the system to autonomously navigate complex subterranean and multi-story buildings.
The systems enable the drone to navigate through the buildings even in the absence of GPS, communications or human pilots.
At the core of the offering between the two companies, EPE explains, is a mutual commitment to keep Australian and American service personnel safe.
Already, EPE has provided the human-machine teaming technologies to Defence Experimentation Teams and has worked across five Defence Innovation Hub projects designed to overcome emerging threats.
In February, EPE confirmed that the company has been selected as RedWave’s exclusive distributor in Australia and New Zealand, following increasing global demand for RedWave’s chemical threat detection capabilities.
The company’s appointment as exclusive distributor comes off the back of EPE’s pedigree in chemical detection and ongoing engagements with Australia’s emergency support personnel.
According to RedWave Technology chief executive Jon Frattaroli, the FTIR-based chemical threat identifier can detect “thousands” of chemical substances.
“We have seen incredible demand in the US for our ThreatID chemical identifier as it is the only analyser that is capable of identifying thousands of gas, powder, and liquid threats all in one device,” Frattaroli said.
“Its ability to identify 5,500 gases and vapours and over 22,000 powders and liquids represents a leap forward in protecting our first responders from chemicals, narcotics, and explosives.”
The agreement between EPE and RedWave Technologies is part of RedWave’s international expansion.
David Byrne, specialist CBRNe capability manager at EPE, welcomed the opportunity to support Australia’s first responder community with the new technology.
“EPE is confident that the ThreatID will provide a much-needed capability enhancement in the field-based identification of gas compounds for our first responder community in Australia and New Zealand,” Byrne said.
The announcement follows EPE’s recent expansion, having partnered with Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, to open Australia’s first standardised robotics testing facility in Queensland.
EPE explained that the facility, dubbed MILTECS (Military Test, Evaluation, Certification and Systems Assurance), was built following industry need for robotics testing grounds and procedures. The facility is expected to cater for defence, law enforcement, agriculture, manufacturing and mining.
[Related: EPE and CSIRO unveil robotics collaboration]
