UTICA — The firms that are evaluating the “potential repurposing” of the current MVHS facilities will continue that effort for a few more months.

The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) and the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties selected CHA Consulting, Inc. to lead the effort, per a Feb. 22 news release. 

CHA is an Albany–based engineering-consulting firm that has an office in Syracuse. CHA is working with Alicia & Crewell Architects, P.C. of New Hartford on the study, says Robert Scholefield, VP of facilities and real estate at MVHS, who spoke with cnybj on April 11. 

Their work started in March, he notes. The work on the study will continue over a six-month period.

The repurposing project will look at the potential reuse of the three main MVHS campuses — which include St. Luke’s, St. Elizabeth, and Faxton — as MVHS develops a new, $480 million downtown Utica hospital, the organization announced on Feb. 22.

MVHS on April 10 said it appointed Scholefield as executive VP of facilities and real estate. He had been serving as COO and will continue in that role until MVHS finds a successor, he tells CNYBJ.

In this new role, Scholefield is responsible for overseeing the construction of the new downtown Utica hospital.

“I look at this project not only as a tremendous value to health care in our region and to the Mohawk Valley Health System, but as a lifelong resident of the Utica area, I also look at it as this tremendous catalyst for development of downtown Utica and development within this community,” says Scholefield.

At the same time, he noted that Mohawk Valley Health System has committed to finding new uses for the existing campuses.

“We’ve agreed that we will do whatever we can do to create a repurposing plan and work to sell those properties so they’re not left behind abandoned,” he adds.

The firms will conduct a combination of building evaluations, local real-estate evaluations, and assess market needs for the properties.

They’ll also work with local community members, including “neighbors [of] the facility, business owners, and local elected [officials] to get their input on what they believe is the best repurpose for the buildings,” says Scholefield.

Based on prior assessments, MVHS has indicated the Faxton campus will likely remain open. It provides services that include cancer treatment and outpatient rehabilitation.

MVHS noted that it will include Faxton in the study to “ensure that keeping it open best meets the needs of MVHS and the community.” 

CHA’s scope of services for the study involves five “broad” components for the three MVHS campuses. They include market research and analysis; zoning analysis; hazardous-material assessment; preliminary conditions assessment; and redevelopment-scenario analysis. 

Incorporating these components into the repurposing project will help MVHS develop a plan for the facilities that “fits in” with the long-term development plans of the surrounding municipalities and allows the facilities to become “positive economic contributors to the area,” the organization said.

Joseph Wicks, special projects manager at the Community Foundation, said, “This study is critical to identifying the best opportunities for reusing those properties and enhancing their neighborhoods. We look forward to supporting this effort and engaging with community residents and other partners, throughout the course of the study and beyond.”    

ROME — Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome, known as Rome Lab, has awarded a SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) professor nearly $1.8 million in funding for work in developing next-generation computer systems.

Nate Cady, a nanobioscience professor at SUNY Poly’s Albany campus, will use the funding to enable future generations of computing systems by using memristors (or “memory resistors”). Memristors are nanoscale electronic switching devices that act like synapses in the human brain.

The funding award will allow Cady and his research team to create an overall hardware architecture and capability which can result in computing that can be “as much as 1,000 times as powerful as is currently available,” per an April 3 SUNY Poly news release. 

Supporting educational opportunities for a number of SUNY Poly students, this research will leverage the institution’s 300mm and 200mm fab facilities and research labs, in order to provide neuromorphic computing power that meets “stringent” Air Force requirements for applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft, satellites, and other deployable autonomous systems.

“On behalf of SUNY Poly, I am thrilled to congratulate Professor Cady on this latest grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory. It showcases the high-impact research our faculty conducts, as well as our world-class fabrication capabilities that are advancing next-generation computing while addressing power-consumption challenges to enable autonomous and deployable systems that can enhance our nation’s security and improve a number of the technologies we use each day,” Grace Wang, interim president of SUNY Poly, said. “This significant AFRL award is the most recent testament to SUNY Poly’s meaningful research, providing exciting opportunities for students to learn how these devices are fabricated.”

The Air Force Research Lab Information Directorate said it looks forward to working together with SUNY Poly in research and development of “hybrid CMOS/memristor processes that will enable powerful neuromorphic and other architectures” with greater capabilities for Air Force systems. 

“The advanced manufacturing capabilities at SUNY Poly further allow for rapid prototype development and fielding to the warfighter, which is critical for the Air Force rapid acquisition system,” Joseph Van Nostrand, principal electronics engineer, AFRL/RITB, and program manager, said in the SUNY Poly release. 

This follows an announcement last fall that the National Science Foundation awarded Cady $500,000 in funding from to develop advanced computing systems based on a “novel approach” to the creation of non-volatile memory architecture.

The research

Cady’s research, titled “Fabrication of Efficient Reconfigurable Neuromorphic Systems,” seeks to address the “significant slowdown” that has taken place in the expected performance improvements that result from scaling computer chips to smaller and smaller sizes.

It also looks to improve power consumption, which can “often be a critical limiting factor” for device performance. 

Cady’s research will focus on avoiding the “von Neumann bottleneck,” which currently results from the separate location of the processor and memory. This separation creates a limit on data throughput. However, combining storage and computation on the same device can avoid the bottleneck, SUNY Poly said. 

The research focuses on integrating logic and memory to achieve so-called “compute in memory” operations, “which are similar to how the human brain functions.” These neuro-inspired computer architectures can also perform computing tasks by breaking down information into low-voltage “spikes,” which saves power and enables the chips to “learn on the fly.” 

As a result of this increased computing capacity, these neuro-inspired computer architectures may be “particularly well suited” to handle problems requiring techniques and systems that can capture knowledge from an abundance of data, SUNY Poly said. 

For example, they could be “highly relevant” for advancing the internet of things, as well as a number of deployable, autonomous systems by capitalizing not only on its computing power, but also by seeking approaches that lead to “low-power, reconfigurable, high-efficiency brain-inspired computing capabilities.” 

Cady’s research will support a SUNY Poly postdoctoral researcher and graduate students, as well as a number of undergraduate students, who will be able to “learn first-hand” how to develop and fabricate the memristive neuromorphic structures, the university said.

“This grant is a perfect example of how our faculty’s cutting-edge research can help to tackle challenges such as computing bottlenecks and address them through the use of innovative solutions, which are possible through the use of SUNY Poly’s advanced facilities and resources,” Steven Schneider, interim provost at SUNY Poly, said in the release. “This announcement is also impactful for a number of our students who will be able to gain the unique opportunity to work on these devices and obtain unmatched lab and fab experience.”

“I am grateful to the AFRL for supporting our research which now represents a successful transition from the first memristive devices that were developed at SUNY Poly using the state-of-the-art resources available here, to developing an actual product — a functional neuromorphic computer chip,” Cady. “A key challenge that our research seeks to overcome is how to improve memristor performance from the standpoint of reliability and power consumption. I look forward to working on the full integration of our memristive devices into a full processor to implement low-power neuromorphic computation that is also capable of high accuracy.”  

UTICA — Go Figure, a local tech startup that bills itself as the contractor’s mobile office, is using its recently won top prize in a key local business competition to boost its product development and marketing to take the fledgling business to the next level.

Go Figure — which developed an iPad application that helps contractors measure, estimate, and create a construction or remodeling proposal onsite — won first place in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Commercialization Academy Demo Day and IDEA NY (Innovation & Development Entrepreneurial Accelerator) business accelerator competition on March 21. It took home a prize of $200,000, which its leader says will come in handy in a couple different ways.

“We have two things that we need to start funding,” Justin Call, CEO of Go Figure, said in a news release issued by Griffiss Institute, which partnered with AFRL on the competition. “Our product development is slow because we can’t hire enough developers, because we don’t have enough money. This is going to change that. So, we are going to be able to rapidly accelerate our product development and our data business at the same time. The other thing we are doing is investing in marketing.”

In addition to using the prize money for research, development, and marketing, Call tells CNYBJ in an interview that the firm is also in contact with a number of venture capitalists about possible future investments into Go Figure.

In the contest that Go Figure won, six teams from the current AFRL Information Directorate Commercialization Academy pitched their startup ideas in cybersecurity, big data, information systems, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for $300,000 in total prize seed funding provided by the Innovation & Development Entrepreneurial Accelerator, known as IDEA NY Mohawk Valley.

The judges’ panel evaluated each startup based on such factors as: the ability of the business to affect the Mohawk Valley’s startup ecosystem and high-tech economy, the culture of innovation that has been created within the startup due to incorporating AFRL technology, the sustainability of the solution beyond the initial startup period and go-to market strategy, according to the Griffiss Institute release.

The startups were incubated by early-stage venture capital firm Wasabi Ventures, while embarking on an acceleration process to either build a sustainable startup, or enhance technology from an already existing startup, with Department of Defense intellectual property from the AFRL Information Directorate.

The company and the product

Go Figure is located in the Mohawk Valley Community College’s thINCubator (short for “the home for innovative new companies,” a business incubator and student accelerator located at 326 Broad St. in the Bagg’s Square East district of Utica. It seeks to help build startups and grow businesses in Central New York.

Go Figure has four part-time employees and Call, who works full time and also has a side job at his own consulting firm. Call didn’t provide a current revenue figure for the firm.

Call compares Go Figure’s iPad application to Amazon. “It is data and business intelligence driven,” he says. The application gathers information about the contractor’s clients and their home so contractors can quickly generate estimates and show the homeowners’ different product options based on their preferences.

Go Figure’s users are contractors. The company released a beta version of its product and used the input of contractors to revise the beta version into something more user friendly, Call says. “The next version will be completely different and will be based on everything learned from the first version.”

He continues, “The beta version was basic and not user friendly. We anticipate releasing the next version within a couple of months.” 

In the new version, contractors will be able to give their clients’ a proposal within 10 minutes

“We are aiming to provide transparent and up-front pricing to the contractor so he knows what his costs will be before he starts,” says Call. “We want to differentiate ourselves from our competition.”

Call’s background

Meadows Construction Company of Newburyport, Massachusetts created Go Figure. In 2017, Meadows Construction hired Call to advance the application. Now they jointly own the company, he says.

Call earned his bachelor’s degree at Union College in Schenectady in 1997, according to his LinkedIn profile. He started his career working in the technology transfer office at the University at Buffalo. While there, he went back to school to earn a law degree and MBA from Buffalo. 

From there, he went to work for Ropes & Gray, an international law firm, for five years. At Ropes & Gray, Call practiced property law until one of his clients, TravelClick, a technology provider to hotels, hired him. TravelClick’s principals sold that company for nearly $1 billion in 2014, but Call stayed on to do some consulting.

Call says working at TravelClick was instrumental to the work he does at Go Figure.       

MARCY — A new robotics lab at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s (SUNY Poly) campus in Marcy is focused on research, development, and educational opportunities based on robotics and automation capabilities.

The university formally opened the new lab in December.

The Hage Family Robotics Lab is named in honor of the Hage family “in recognition of decades of significant support” for SUNY Poly “over nearly a quarter century.”

“On behalf of the SUNY Poly Foundation, I am grateful for the generous contributions of the Hage family, who have been steadfast supporters of the hands-on educational opportunities that SUNY Poly students have always received,” Andrea LaGatta, executive director of the SUNY Poly Foundation, said in a news release. “We are thrilled to be able to name this state-of-the-art robotics lab after a family whose impact is helping support SUNY Poly students as they gain highly relevant skills that will help them succeed while strengthening our local, regional, and New York State workforce.”

The Hage Family Robotics Lab is located in Donovan Hall on the Marcy campus. It is part of SUNY Poly’s new Center for Global Advanced Manufacturing (CGAM). 

The lab has robotics technologies that “enable unique experiential learning opportunities and collaboration,” SUNY Poly contends. 

For example, Baxter, a “smart, collaborative” robot is housed in the lab, aiming to redefine the use of industrial automation in manufacturing environments. Baxter is also currently being used in the research of Yu Zhou, professor of mechanical engineering at SUNY Poly. 

“SUNY Poly represents the future of technology in Central New York, and we, as rural New Yorkers, are committed to full participation in the 21st century economy,” J.K. Hage III, an attorney with Utica law firm Hage & Hage, said in the school’s release.

The Hage Family Robotics Lab is accessible to any SUNY Poly student who is “inspired to pursue a robotics project of his or her own upon completion of a baseline safety test.” 

In addition, the lab supports the institution’s Fabrication Club. It also supports FIRST Robotics Team #5030, The Second Mouse, an award-winning FIRST robotics team that has earned a berth to the FIRST robotics world championship in three of the last five years, per the SUNY Poly release. 

The team is comprised of area high-school students mentored by SUNY Poly engineering and computer-science mentors. 

ROME — The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate, in partnership with the Griffiss Institute, recently hosted the 11th Annual AFRL Challenge Competition as one of their joint STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiatives. 

The 2019 AFRL Challenge Competition began Monday, April 15, and ended on Friday, April 19, at the Griffiss Institute in Rome.

The following 10 area high schools participated in the challenge, according to a Griffiss Institute news release.

Central Valley Academy
• Students: Dale Windecker and Carter Wynn
• Teacher: Wes Laurion

Clinton Central School
• Students: Jessica Ritz and Kim Rivera
• Teacher: Laura Broccoli

Frankfort-Schuyler Central School
• Students: Ryan Janis and John Tofani
• Teacher: Christopher Snell

Holland Patent Central School
• Students: Emmalee Howard and Jacqueline Mann
• Teacher: Richard Zacek

Holy Cross Academy
• Students: Noelle DiRuzzo and Lily Domes
• Teacher: John DiRuzzo

Oriskany Central School
• Students: Wesley Appler and Joshua Macera
• Teacher: Teresa Mann

Remsen Central School
• Students: Sydney Boucher and Shaun Graves
• Teacher: Dan O’Bryan

Rome Free Academy
• Students: Elena Davis and Chris Incorvaia
• Teacher: Albert Bangs

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School
• Students: Nathan Angell and Eric Surprenant
• Teacher: Sondra Whalen

Westmoreland Central School
• Students: Austen Bowers and Jarrett Flint
• Teacher: Nick Darrah

While all 10 teams were recognized for their “hard work and efforts,” three teams stood out and were awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place titles, the release stated.

The winners of the 11th Annual AFRL Challenge Competition were:

• 1st Place: Jessica Ritz and Kim Rivera, Clinton Central School

• 2nd Place: Ryan Janis and John Tofani, Frankfort-Schuyler Central School

• 3rd Place: Wesley Appler and Joshua Macera, Oriskany Central School

Ritz and Rivera, as the first-place winners, had the option to choose their prize — paid summer internships at AFRL or Griffiss Institute, or receiving a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet computer. They chose to intern at AFRL. Janis and Tofani chose to take home a Microsoft Surface Pro, while Appler and Macera will intern at the Griffiss Institute.

The AFRL Challenge Competition is an annual competitive STEM initiative for local high-school students. It was held during a week when students are on a school break and seeks to provide a “more realistic view into the types of high-tech problems the nation is facing today, and how engineers and researchers go about dissecting and solving these problems,” per the release. The Griffiss Institute called it a “mental marathon.”

This year’s challenge problem was developed by the Information Exploitation & Operations Division of the AFRL Information Directorate.

The teams received the challenge problem upon arrival Monday morning, April 15, and had four days to solve it. AFRL engineers and scientists were on hand to answer questions regarding the challenge problem throughout the week.

Many of the students who participated in the competition found that it was the first time they had ever had a problem to solve that encompasses what they learn in every academic area in school — from politics, to English, to math and science.

It gave many of the participants a new perspective on the field of engineering and they had a chance to learn more about the work that takes place at the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate and the Griffiss Institute.

On Friday, April 19, competition judging began in the morning, followed by a poster session, luncheon at noon, and awards ceremony, where local dignitaries — Rome Mayor Jacqueline Izzo, Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, and Kimberly Tobin a staff person from Congressman Anthony Brindisi’s office — along with parents, friends, and staff from local tech companies, were on hand to support, congratulate, and recognize these potential technology leaders of tomorrow.

Colonel Timothy Lawrence, director of the AFRL Information Directorate, gave the keynote address at the awards ceremony. He told the students, “I’d like to hire you, maybe not today, but down the road. Keep us in mind. There’s a ton of tech here in Rome, New York.”

The judges for this year’s competition were:

• Samuel Allen, computer engineer, AFRL Information Directorate

• Jerry Dussault, principal engineer, Griffiss Institute 

• Dan Fayette, principal engineer, Griffiss Institute

This year’s AFRL Challenge Competition received sponsorship support from CUBRC, Mohawk Valley EDGE, and A Moveable Feast by O’Connor’s, per the release.

The Griffiss Institute is a nonprofit whose primary role is to advocate and facilitate the co-operation of private industry, academia, and the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, in developing solutions to critical cyber security problems.       

SYRACUSE — With its win in the Genius NY business competition, Sentient Blue Technologies wants to make a “massive pivot” to Syracuse, Rome, and Central New York. 

Italy–based Sentient Blue Technologies plans more hiring in Syracuse and is working to establish additional operations at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, according to Saïf-Deen Akanni, the firm’s founder, CEO, and chief technical officer. 

“We’re … discussing premises with Griffiss Airport at the moment,” says Akanni, who spoke with cnybj at the Genius NY awards announcement on April 9.

Genius NY stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York.

“The center of gravity and the center of operations of the company will be here in Syracuse, in terms of research and development with the production, maintenance,” says Akanni.

Sentient Blue, which has operations at the Tech Garden in Syracuse, plans to use its Genius NY prize funding to accelerate the development and production of its hybrid power system for drones. 

“We’ll need to basically be filing for some intellectual-property protection in the form of patents. We’re going to be hiring more personnel right here in Syracuse and Rome. These are going to be engineering jobs and skilled-manufacturing jobs,” says Akanni.

Judges selected Sentient Blue Technologies as the grand-prize winner of $1 million in the third year of the Genius NY business-accelerator program at the Tech Garden. The company captured the top prize during the program’s “Finals Night” held at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. 

Sentient Blue develops “efficient, more environmentally friendly” micro gas turbine-based power plants for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to increase flight endurance, CenterState CEO says.

Besides Sentient Blue, four competing Genius NY companies each won $500,000. 

The program, supported by Empire State Development Corporation, invested more than $3 million in the companies, “making it the largest business accelerator competition for the UAS industry in the world.” 

UAS is short for unmanned-aircraft system. A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.

About Sentient Blue

Sentient Blue Technologies is working on a hybrid-power system for drones because, Akanni noted, most drones are “highly dependent” lithium-polymer batteries. Those batteries have “issues with energy density,” meaning that they can only fly for 30 minutes at a time before the operator has to replace or recharge the battery, Akanni tells cnybj. “A lot of the companies that are working with these throughout the working day, they need to take at least 10 batteries with them and a generator to recharge them. Our system is going to eliminate that,” he adds.

The system that Sentient Blue is developing will allow a drone to fly between two and four hours, depending on the design of the drone. The system will produce an increase in endurance and the flight times, says Akanni. 

“We’re going to be decreasing the maintenance down time and increasing the reliability and safety,” says Akanni. 

Sentient Blue has about 25 employees, about half of whom are full-time workers. Besides Syracuse and its headquarters in Parma, Italy, Sentient also has operations in Washington, D.C.; the Netherlands; Berlin, Germany; and the United Kingdom. 

$500K winners

The companies that were awarded $500,000 investments included ResilienX of Syracuse, a firm that is developing software to increase the resilience and reduce the maintenance costs of UTM systems. 

This software will monitor the health and integrity of a system and will facilitate fault recovery if a problem is encountered.

UTM is short for UAS traffic management platform. 

EagleHawk of Buffalo provides a preventive-maintenance platform for commercial buildings with flat roofs. EagleHawk leverages drones equipped with infrared sensors to detect roof leaks “that are not evident to the naked eye,” according to CenterState CEO.

Vermeer of Brooklyn is an augmented reality drone product that “enables anyone” to capture aerial photos, videos, and data. A user can now design their aerial shot in an augmented reality environment and then send it to a drone to execute autonomously in the real world.

Additionally, CivDrone of Israel develops “fast, reliable and autonomous marking solutions” on enterprise drones for the construction industry. Digitalizing and automating land-surveying services will increase productivity and shorten time of construction while lowering its costs.   

SYRACUSE — Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) has recently changed leaders as it continues its work on drone testing at Griffiss International Airport in Rome.

Michael Hertzendorf, who previously served as NUAIR’s chief of staff, has been named interim president and CEO, Elle Hanna, director of communications and media relations for CenterState CEO, said in an April 25 email response to a cnybj inquiry.

NUAIR is an organizational partner of CenterState CEO and manages one of seven Federal Aviation Administration-designated UAS test sites in the country. NUAIR is a Syracuse–based coalition of New York and Massachusetts aerospace and academic institutions. 

UAS is short for unmanned aircraft system. A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Hertzendorf assumes the duties previously held by Major General Marke (Hoot) Gibson (ret). cnybj asked CenterState CEO why Gibson departed NUAIR, but the organization’s email reply didn’t offer any details about the reason for the leadership change. Instead, it focused on the organization’s progress and the work ahead of it.

“Over the past two years, NUAIR has been focused on the operational aspects of building a one of a kind unmanned traffic management 50-mile corridor. As we near completion of this critical global asset, expected to be finalized this fall, we continue to engage with partners and industry leaders, as well as identify customers ready to begin using our leading-edge UAS test site … The Central New York region is well positioned and continues to make ground-breaking advances for the unmanned-systems sector,” Hanna said in her statement.

Service suppliers

NUAIR on April 25 announced that the organization and the New York UAS test site at Griffiss International Airport have deployed five service suppliers for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the New York UAS corridor. 

The suppliers include AirMap, ANRA Technologies, AGI/OneSky, Thales, and Unifly. 

Each of the UAS service suppliers bring their expertise in live flight tracking, real-time situational awareness, flight data exchange mechanisms, analytics, UAS traffic management (UTM) and more.

ANRA Technologies

NUAIR and Griffiss on March 18 announced they had implemented the UAS traffic management (UTM) platform from ANRA Technologies into the New York State UAS (unmanned-aircraft system) test site. 

The UTM implementation “advances” the test site’s capabilities by “enhancing” multiple, simultaneous beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations that involve both manned and unmanned vehicles sharing the same airspace, NUAIR said. 

ANRA Technologies has offices in Tysons, Virginia; Chevy Chase, Maryland; and New Delhi, India.

Unifly

The organizations on Aug. 27, 2018 announced a new partnership with Unifly as part of its drone-research efforts. Unifly is an Antwerp, Belgium–based company with a software application that enables unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems to “visualize and manage” drone traffic in airspace.

Thales

NUAIR signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with Thales, a firm that focuses on UTM, per a Sept. 24, 2018 news release on the Thales website.

The agreement supports NUAIR’s efforts to try to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into traditional, controlled airspace and supports its ability to conduct operations at its New York UAS test site’s 50-mile UTM corridor.

Thales established a presence in Central New York at Syracuse University in 2017 as part of a broader UTM initiative to partner with organizations in advancing UTM globally.

Thales is working with NUAIR at the Griffiss test site to examine how advancement in UTM could provide a “glimpse into future airspace-automation capabilities.” Thales will do this by integrating the entire airspace situation into its software product for NUAIR to enable the tracking of unmanned flights and keep operators a safe distance from manned aviation.

AirMap

NUAIR and Griffiss on Sept. 13, 2018 announced they had selected Santa, Monica, California–based AirMap to provide UTM services at the Griffiss UAS test site.

They made the announcement at the New York UAS Symposium held that week at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona and at the Griffiss test site in Rome.

NUAIR describes AirMap as a global UTM platform. It will provide UTM services to “visualize, manage, and support” drone operations at the drone test site. 

OneSky

NUAIR is also working with Exton, Pennsylvania–based OneSky. On the firm’s LinkedIn page, OneSky contends that its “enterprise-ready, software solutions use industry-leading analytics to ensure safe, compliant and efficient drone flights beyond a pilot’s visual line of sight (BVLOS) and within the same airspace as other manned and unmanned aircraft. Leveraging 30 years of modeling, simulation and 3D visualization experience from Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), we place powerful predictive and real-time capabilities into the hands of platform and payload manufacturers, ground control software providers and commercial UAS operators.” 

UTICA — SkyTubeLive, a Mohawk Valley tech startup, sees a big future for private live streaming of drone videos, especially in emergency services. 

Brian Barris and Mat DePasquale founded the company and created the application, which enhances the ability of first responders to react to emergencies. SkyTubeLive created a private, secure web platform and mobile app that a first responder can see on any device — phone, tablet, and computer — what the drone sees, allowing personnel to be quickly dispatched to areas that need them most.

Barris and DePasquale started SkyTubeLive in 2015 with a $25,000 grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), according to Barris. The founders use common space in a warehouse at the Mohawk Valley Community College’s thINCubator (short for “the home for innovative new companies,” a business incubator and student accelerator located at 326 Broad St. in the Bagg’s Square East district of Utica. It exists to help build startups and grow businesses in Central New York. “The space is great,” Barris tells CNYBJ.

Shortly after release of the beta version of their application, the SkyTubeLive founders determined that first responders — police, fire, and rescue — are the ones who can most benefit from it. These departments often already have drones with video capabilities, so live video is the next step, and SkyTubeLive can help with that, Barris says.

SkyTubeLive came in second place in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Commercialization Academy Demo Day and IDEA NY (Innovation & Development Entrepreneurial Accelerator) business accelerator competition on March 21, winning a prize of $100,000. 

“This is huge. It will allow us to do all kinds of stuff that we’ve thought about for years, and now we finally have the resources to do those things, so this is really going to make a massive difference for us. It’s just amazing,” Barris said in a news release issued by Griffiss Institute, which partnered with AFRL on the competition. Specifically, the prize money will help the company travel to drone conferences where it can get “our name in front of emergency responders across the country,” Barris adds in the interview.

Six teams from the current AFRL Information Directorate Commercialization Academy pitched their startup ideas in cybersecurity, big data, information systems, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for $300,000 in total prize seed funding provided by IDEA NY Mohawk Valley.

The judges’ panel evaluated each startup based on such factors as: the ability of the business to affect the Mohawk Valley’s startup ecosystem and high-tech economy, the culture of innovation that has been created within the startup due to incorporating AFRL technology, the sustainability of the solution beyond the initial startup period and go-to market strategy, according to the Griffiss Institute release.

The startups were incubated by early-stage venture capital firm Wasabi Ventures, while embarking on an acceleration process to either build a sustainable startup, or enhance technology from an already existing startup, with Department of Defense intellectual property from the AFRL Information Directorate.

This wasn’t the only competition in which SkyTubeLive participated. The company was one of 16 semifinalists in the Genius NY 2.0 program in Syracuse in late 2017. Genius NY is a business-accelerator program at CenterState CEO’s Tech Garden.

Barris declined to disclose annual revenue for his company. He says the firm derives its revenue from selling monthly or yearly subscriptions to the application. “The pricing structure is based on purchasing a license and paying monthly or yearly,” says Barris.

SkyTubeLive’s founders have extensive experience with imagery and software development. Barris earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Caltech (California Institute of Technology) and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Hawaii. He has two decades of experience in aerospace, having worked at Helios Remote Sensing Systems and Electromagnetic Systems, Inc. according to his LinkedIn profile.

DePasquale is a software engineer who earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Rochester Institute of Technology. He has two decades of experience in software development and engineering. He worked at Black River Systems, Helios Remote Sensing Systems, and Global Info Tek., according to DePasquale’s LinkedIn page.

The two men met while working together at one of their previous employers, Barris says.