Manu Lubrano, CEO and Co-Founder, INVOLI
Welcome to GUTMA “Meet Our Members” interview series, where every month we will feature a different Member.
This month we speak to Manu Lubrano, CEO and Co-Founder at INVOLI. Thank you,Manu, for taking the time to share with us your activities and industry outlook!
Introducing: Manu Lubrano, CEO and Co-Founder at INVOLI
Manu is a robotics specialist and drone operator who acted as head of the production and industrialization departments of senseFly and founded an NGO using drones for humanitarian purposes, all whilst studying for his airplane pilot license! This all motivated Manu to come up with a solution to integrate an ever-growing number of drones into the air traffic and getting involved in UTM.
INVOLI is then born, becoming a leading provider of low-altitude surveillance data, enabling drones to safely share the sky with manned aviation. Active in the development of technologies and standards related to surveillance and Remote ID, INVOLI relies on the ability of its ground-based network of proprietary receivers and its drone trackers to gather a complete air traffic picture. The data thus acquired is shared over the dedicated INVOLI online platform or via API to airports, ANSPs, UTMs or directly to drones, allowing unparalleled traffic awareness and empowering drones to become fully autonomous
Manu recognises all players in the industry working together is important, “Collaboration throughout the industry is key, and this is why INVOLI collaborates with all industry players – drone manufacturers and operators, ANSPs, authorities, UTM service providers, telcos, universities, research sites and many more.”
INVOLI is committed to innovate in the field of drones integration and surveillance data, by continuing to improve the existing products while developing new features or services. We asked Manu what exciting products INVOLI is working on. He told us that INVOLI has recently launched its first drone tracker: KIVU, stating that “The tracker takes its name after Lake Kivu Challenge BVLOS drone competition where it was successfully used for the first time. At 22 grams, KIVU is the lightest independent drone tracker on the market, it has 2 hours of battery autonomy and it is self-sufficient with an embedded chargeable battery. KIVU is accompanied by access to INVOLI.live platform. This product is particularly important not only from the tracking perspective, but also because it is compatible with the new Remote ID standards”.
As part of GUTMA, Manu is driven by the ability and opportunity to be writing an important page in the history of aviation. And in their effort to do so, Manu and INVOLI are working on a number of key projects also. To begin with, INVOLI is part of the Swiss U-Space Implementation (SUSI), nation-wide collaborative effort for safely integrating drones into the airspace, coordinated by the Swiss Civil Aviation Authority (Swiss FOCA), with the participation of the Swiss Air Navigation Service Provider, skyguide, and a growing group of industry stakeholders. INVOLI is also a part of the 5G!Drones project, a European project funded under Horizon 2020 Programme, which aims at driving drone and 5G industries to a win-win position, by showing that 5G is able to accommodate the complex needs of the drone technology and can support challenging use cases that put pressure on network resources, such as low latency or ultra-reliable communications.
When asked about key trends within the UTM industry, Manu has seen a real drive in drones supporting communities during the fight against Corona Virus Pandemic, stating “I think we will see the industry go faster and the public acceptance of drones growing, as the use of drone delivery has the potential to be extremely relevant to decrease exposure to the virus by reducing contacts between people”. In addition, Manu welcomes that the industry is actively working on various standards not only from a commitment perspective, but also because such an approach will enable technologies to define minimal safety criteria and businesses to thrive throughout jurisdictions.
Find out more about Manu Lubrano and his work on his LinkedIn profile here or by visiting the INVOLI website here.
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