Ukrainian firm SeekUAV has joined forces with Odd Systems to produce a cheap and effective analogue thermal imaging camera for drones that it is now exporting to the US.
Both companies produce a similar product, with a lens-matrix unit governed by a microprocessor board and software.
While Ukraine lacks the infrastructure to produce the camera’s more technical elements, it is well placed to ensure high-quality assembly, and to programme the software.
In its product, the shutter function can be controlled manually, while the image contrast can also be adjusted in flight, functions not available in competitors’ products, where software automation can cause freezes that pilots dislike.
SeekUAV is now looking to break free of its Chinese component suppliers by using American-made parts.
