Though often dismissed as toys for weekend warriors, drones can offer astounding benefits to all of us with their computer-controlled cameras and their ability to go where manned vehicles often can’t. The industry has seen setbacks, but there’s no doubt the technology is here to stay for those who can dream up the most innovative practical uses for them, like the 10 companies below. For those looking to work in, or keep a close eye on, the drone industry, these companies from across the country should be on your radar.
Location: Half Moon Bay, CA
Zipline designs, manufactures, and operates drones to deliver vital medical products to everyone, no matter where they live. The company began drone deliveries in Rwanda in late 2016, and late that year a Zipline drone was credited with saving the life of two-year old Ghislane Ihimbazwe with a blood delivery – a first for a UAV.
Zipline is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: San Francisco
Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, is expanding on the UAV market with the Parrot AR. Drone, the first quadricopter piloted via Wi-Fi and using augmented reality and so with new solutions to address the UAV market for professional use.
Parrot is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: Texas, S.C.
DroneBlocks offers cutting edge opportunities for students to learn programming.Its diverse team of educators, programmers, and pilots use unique and exciting strategies to teach students the ins and outs of drone operations.
Location: New York, NY
Drone racing is a sport that combines the best of e-sports, Formula 1, and a touch of virtual reality. DRL is the premier drone racing league. A sports and media company, DRL combines world-class pilots, iconic locations, and proprietary technology to create engaging drone racing content with mass appeal.
DRL is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: San Francisco, CA
Airspace Systems is a Silicon Valley-based company leading the development of aerial security systems for enterprise. Airspace Systems is the only drone security solution capable of identifying, tracking, and autonomously removing rogue drones from the sky. Its hardware and software are purpose-built for this challenge—and get better with every mission—so that users can protect their airspace with the tap of a finger.
Airspace Systems is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: San Jose, CA
Aptonomy is a world leader in the development of autonomous industrial-grade Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Through proprietary software, Aptonomy’s self-flying drones are equipped with artificial intelligence, anomaly detection and obstruction avoidance. Aptonomy’s foundation draws upon years of experience at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Lockheed Martin, DARPA, Army Research Labs and Intel amongst others.
Aptonomy is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: Woodinville, WA
Freefly Systems is a rapidly growing tech and cinema company representing the intersection of art and technology. Its team consists of industry leading specialists all focused on one task – inventing solutions to allow unrestricted camera movement. Freefly Systems initially developed the CineStar line of multi-rotor camera platforms, which allowed smooth, stable and dynamic low-altitude aerials.
Freefly is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: Los Angeles, CA
DJI develops and manufactures innovative drone and camera technology for commercial and recreational use. Its platforms empower drone pilots to capture images that were once out of reach. DJI’s flying and camera stabilization systems redefine camera placement and motion.
DJI is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: Berkeley, CA
3DR makes advanced drone technology easily accessible to the construction, mining, and surveying industries for use in data analysis.It helps users in land mapping and site scanning services in collecting accurate aerial data of the jobsite, turning the drone photos into maps, models, or point clouds.
3DR is hiring! Check out jobs here!
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
PrecisionHawk is an information delivery company that combines unmanned aerial systems, remote sensing technologies and advanced data analytics to improve business operations and day-to-day decision making. PrecisionHawk brings value to an emerging market by offering an end-to-end solution for aerial data gathering, processing and analysis to provide actionable information across a wide range of data-intensive civilian industries.