Daedalean

Headquartered in Zurich, Daedalean specializes in the development of autonomous piloting software systems for both current civil aircraft and the future of advanced aerial mobility. The company provides visual traffic detection technology, evaluation kits, visual positioning technology, and visual landing guidance. Daedalean has collaborated with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish suitable methods for certifying the safety and effectiveness of machine-learning-based avionics systems. These systems are designed for critical functions such as navigation, collision and terrain avoidance, and landing guidance in both manned and unmanned aircraft. The company has established presences in multiple locations, including Zürich (Switzerland), Riga (Latvia), and Phoenix (US).

Its visual traffic detection technology is a solution based on computer vision that ensures the uninterrupted monitoring of the sky, which, according to the company, surpasses human vision in its level of attentiveness and reliability. By harnessing advanced neural networks, its technology acts as an extra pair of eyes in the cockpit, enabling the detection and evaluation of airborne threats, including non-cooperative entities like drones and birds. Its evaluation kits provide software function demonstrations for onboard computer vision applications and also records raw and benchmark data for post-flight analysis. The company’s visual positioning technology provides camera-based navigation and landing guidance, while its visual landing guidance provides onboard global navigation satellite system (GNSS) independent landing guidance for VTOL and fixed-wing aircraft.

Key customers and partnerships

Daedalean has partnered with renowned and established avionics suppliers and manufacturers to provide a full range of systems and support, including Honeywell Aerospace (which has also made investments) and Avidyne to introduce the first-ever avionics system based on machine learning to the market. The company announced a partnership with Reliable Robotics to develop advanced avionics systems for the safer operation of commercial aircraft.

Funding and financials

In January 2022 , the company raised CHF 53 million (~USD 58 million) in Series B funding led by a consortium of investors, including Carthona Capital, Amino Capital, Redalpine Venture Partners, and Honeywell Ventures. The funds were slated to develop the next generation of AI-based systems for application in safety-critical flight control for new eVTOL and existing aircraft like air taxis and heavy-lift drones over the next four years. In April 2023 , the company received a grant of an undisclosed amount for the Swiss Accelerator in 2022.