$7 Million Raised to Build Flying Robots by CyPhy Works  

Photo courtesy of Jason Walker/CyPhy Works.

By Ashley Addington 



CyPhy Works has announced it has closed a $7 million funding deal with Lux Capital to further develop the company’s UAS technologies.



The company has created two tethered unmanned aircraft systems, EASE, an indoor hovering robot, and PARC, an outdoor multicopter platform. The company says these new technologies will be able to make breakthroughs when performing surveys for agriculture, mining, construction, and oil and gas. 



General Catalyst Partners, Felicis Ventures and several undisclosed prominent angel investors also took part in raising aid for the projects. 



CyPhy Works’ systems are equipped with commercial-grade “no-pilot” hardware systems, autopilot and control software, uninterrupted high-definition and infrared imaging, laser measurement sensors, and data management solutions. The company added proprietary microfilament technology to improve battery life and transmission of information to the ground stations below during use. 



“The opportunity to bring flying robots, i.e. UAVs, to commercial sectors for imaging, surveying, mapping, monitoring and other applications is truly exciting,” says Helen Greiner, CEO of CyPhy Works. “We are building a reliable and robust platform that is differentiated from hobbyist-class UAVs and is specifically designed for field operations in rough real-world conditions.” 



Greiner originally came to fame in the robotics world as a cofounder of ground vehicle company iRobot in the 1990s.