The autonomous drone solution "DBOX" developed by the Lithuanian company "IT logika" has attracted special attention from companies in the Gulf region. The UAE company Duverse has not only shown interest in this innovation, but has also signed a distribution agreement that will allow the Lithuanian solutions to be introduced in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
DBOX technology, which enables autonomy and the application of artificial intelligence, will become an important part of Dubai and other smart cities, helping to protect and monitor areas.
The success of the Lithuanians in the UAE shows that consistent work and business missions are a stepping stone to new export markets.
Read more in the Innovation Agency article: https://bit.ly/4eqsvQB
Following preparatory work on the project last summer, the U-Space system was presented on 29 October 2024. "The progress was presented by the Air Navigation team to the Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Marius Skuodis, the Transport Competence Agency and representatives of Lithuanian airports. They were able to observe a demonstration flight of the drone and how it was controlled through the new system.
We are pleased to have been able to present the DBOX and demonstrate its operation and live data capture to the participants during the event.
"The introduction of this system will significantly facilitate the management of drone traffic, while standardizing processes and providing stakeholders with information more quickly. This will reduce drone-related risks for citizens, institutions and businesses and ensure smoother operations," said Saulius Batavičius, Director General of AIr Navigation.
Soon, both drone pilots and citizens will be able to connect to the U-Space system via a mobile app, which will provide flight confirmation, traffic information and other services.
Keeping pace with new regulations and technologies is not always easy, but it is a challenge that motivates growth. We believe that there will be no shortage of them in the future.
Imagine a city where, alongside the usual services, squads of advanced drones work almost autonomously at night.
They monitor and analyse congestion, adjust traffic lights, rush to the scene of a fire and provide life-saving information to firefighters. Others guard important sites such as the Lithuanian border around the clock.
Thanks to the European Union's #NextGenerationEU initiative, Linas Gelažanskas and the company he founded are working to make this image from the movies about the future a near reality.
The #NextGenerationEU provides €3.85 billion for Lithuania, which is being invested in projects that will create a modern future for Lithuania.
Read more www.nextgenerationeu.lt
Watch YouTube video with Linas and DBOX:
Imagine for a moment a city where, alongside the usual services - firefighters, police, waste haulers, traffic regulators - squads of advanced drones are working almost autonomously during the day and night. They monitor and analyse the city's congestion in real time - and adjust traffic lights accordingly. Others rush to the scene of a fire and provide life-saving information to firefighters. Others guard important sites around the clock. Linas Gelažanskas, whose company develops advanced autonomous drone technology, dreams of such cities in the very near future.
The Vilnius resident's interest in flying machines dates back to his childhood, when he started building model aeroplanes when he was just four years old. Since then, his desire to turn his ideas into reality has only grown. After studying in the UK and the US, Linas graduated from Lancaster University with a PhD in engineering, but returned to Lithuania to pursue his dreams. He is now the head of IT Logika, a scientific innovation company he founded, which develops applied drone technologies. Specifically, he is developing drone systems that will operate almost autonomously, without the constant supervision of human pilots, and thus revolutionise the daily management of cities.
Read the full story in this DELFI article:
From November 5th to 7th, 2024, we had the privilege of joining the world’s largest smart city event, where cities and innovators come together to share their visions and create solutions for the cities of tomorrow.
Our vision? A truly smart city requires autonomous drone stations at its core.
DBOX proudly took center stage at the Congress, drawing significant interest from attendees worldwide. We’re especially proud of Vilnius, standing among the most progressive cities globally!
We return with a broad network of contacts from smart city leaders across the world, ready to foster new collaborations and bring our vision to life.
On 13-17th October it was an incredible experience showcasing DBOX at Dubai's GITEX Global, the world’s largest and most highly regarded high-tech and AI congress.
The event was all about innovations, from drones and robotics to the limitless possibilities of artificial intelligence. We connected with visionaries, industry leaders, and tech enthusiasts who share our passion for shaping the future.
A special thank you to the 'Mohammed Bin Rashid' Innovation Fund for the opportunity to feature our Lithuanian product at their stand—truly invaluable experiences and opportunities!
Here's to pushing boundaries and making an impact on the global stage.
DBOX Featured on Hacksmith Industries!
We are thrilled to see DBOX showcased in the latest The Hacksmith video. The creators were amazed at how the immersive experience elevated their setup, pushing the limits of what’s possible in entertainment tech.
Check out the video and witness how DBOX transforms the ultimate entertainment setup into something unforgettable.
Originally published on the Lithuanian Innovation Agency webpage:
Lithuanian-built autonomous drone station allows control of drones from anywhere in the world. Drones are already improving the daily lives of Vilnius residents and are being used to develop modern security and defence solutions. Noticing that drones require a high level of human involvement, Lithuanian company IT Logika has developed an innovative autonomous station that allows drones to be prepared for flight more efficiently.
As the range of applications for drones expands, there is also a need for innovative solutions to control drones more efficiently and transmit data faster. The autonomous drone station DBOX, developed by UAB IT Logika, which benefited from the European Union funding "Inostartas" administered by the Innovation Agency, meets these needs.
According to the company's director, Dr. Linas Gelažansko, the automation of the drone's flight preparation process was inspired by... Boredom. "We have been running many automated missions. The pilot had to go to the location, launch the drone and just watch. It's a boring job, a person had to be in a specific place just to change the battery," he says.
From improving urban infrastructure to defence solutions
For several years now, drones have been improving the quality of life in the city by monitoring traffic volume, collecting parking statistics and tracking the condition of roofs, garbage bins and pavements.
Unmanned aerial vehicles also contribute to keeping the city clean. A team from the capital's municipal company, ID Vilnius, has trained an artificial intelligence to evaluate drone photos and identify problems - for example, to capture a car blocking the access to a dumpster or bulky waste left out of place.
"Information about abandoned rubbish is received before residents have time to complain, so the waste stops piling up - once the first piece of rubbish has been removed, the second piece of rubbish is usually gone. Last year, the amount of bulky waste collected doubled," says L. Gelažanskas.
The security sector is not the first year that UAVs have been used, but the adaptation of autonomous stations helps to further optimise processes. The DBOX drone station is built in facilities that require more than one employee - factories, construction sites, power plants, railway areas. As the drone can be operated remotely, the need for human resources and the costs for the company are reduced.
Now, the IT Logika team is working on a 5G drone that will be fully Lithuanian-made - from software to components. Such drones respond to the country's need and plans to strengthen border security. With drone stations every few kilometres, the situation at the border could already be monitored in real time and in a fully automated way.
With just a few component changes, improved communications and the adaptation of the drone to fly without GPS navigation, unmanned and autonomous stations could also be used on the war front in Ukraine. "The current trend is that the enemy is not targeting the drone, but the pilot who operates it. However, if soldiers were able to operate drones in a completely different location and the enemy hit the box itself, it would be a loss of a device, a piece of metal, not a human life, which is priceless," says Gelažanskas.
Dr. Sigutė Stankevičiūtė, Head of the Innovation Agency ManuFuture LAB and the NATO DIANA Tech to Market Expert Group, echoes the director of IT Logika, highlighting the great potential of connected solutions in the field of defence.
"In recent years, we have witnessed an extremely rapid growth in the variety of applications for drones. The whole world is investing in drone-related solutions, including innovators in Lithuania who are able to find innovative niches," she says.
The expert highlighted the developers of drones and drone-enabled solutions, including Vista Reader, which received support from the 2023 NATO DIANA programme, BROSWARM, the first place winner of the NATO Innovation Challenge, and Unmanned Dynamics, the second place winner. Many other companies are currently developing solutions for UAV applications, having benefited this year from the Innovation Agency's Defence Innovation Vouchers.
"These examples reflect only part of the focus on the development of unmanned aircraft technology in Lithuania alone. There are also NATO innovation support structures, numerous initiatives coming from individual member countries of the Alliance, whose market potential needs to be taken into account in the development of related technologies. All this allows us to expect further growth in demand for integrated drone systems, which we believe will include the solution developed by IT Logic", - says S. Stankevičiūtė.
Drone control from anywhere in the world
The need to reduce human involvement was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when IT Logic's drones flew over the city of Vilnius and recorded violations of quarantine rules. Although the flights were controlled remotely via a 4G network, service staff still had to spend time at the White Bridge (where the drones took off and landed) just to change the drone battery.
Now, drone operator time is saved by the autonomous drone station DBOX. Once the flight is complete, the drone returns to a box-like "garage" where a robotic arm inside replaces the dead battery in less than a minute. Once back in its garage, the drone is automatically cooled or heated as needed, depending on weather conditions, and protected from rain and snow. An on-board 4G or 5G router communicates with the drone operator's computer and allows you to control the drone from anywhere in the world. "For example, a person can sit quietly in the office and control a drone flying in another city or another country," says Gelažanskas.
DBOX is also the first to offer an innovative technological solution to the problem of data transfer times - a cased robotic arm connects a USB cable to the drone, which allows information to be downloaded faster than with a conventional Wi-Fi connection.
The company's innovations have already been recognised internationally, with the DBOX autonomous drone station having been presented at international conferences in many countries in Europe, as well as in Ukraine, Singapore and the USA.
On September 11th, 2024, together with the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and a delegation of Lithuanian defence industry companies, we attended the Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv. During the forum, we presented DBOX as a tool for border monitoring.
Additionally, the Confederations of Industrialists of Lithuania and Ukraine signed a memorandum on cooperation in the defence sector between the two countries.
In the beginning of September 2024 we had a productive week in Poland as part of President Gitanas Nausėda's first bilateral visit of this term. Together with Polish President Andrzej Duda, a Lithuanian-Polish Defense Industry Forum was held, attracting over 70 defense industry companies from both countries.
It's crucial that the private sector has the opportunity to participate as broadly as possible in the development of the defense industry in both nations.
