WeRobotics

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WeRobotics
FoundedDecember 2015 (2015-12)
FoundersSonja Betschart, Patrick Meier, Andrew Schroeder and Adam Klaptocz
HeadquartersWilmington, United States / Geneva, Switzerland
Area served
Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Caribbean
ProductsCivilian drones, data, and AI for social good applications
WebsiteWeRobotics

WeRobotics is a Swiss-American global social impact organization with a non-profit status which helps communities globally leverage technology solutions that adapt to their local contexts and needs using civilian drones (UAVs), data and AI technologies, founded in 2015.[1][2][3] Working with its funders and partners, the organization has a growing network of independent Flying Labs (41 at the end of 2023) operating in different corners of the World including Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.[4][5][6]

History[edit]

WeRobotics incorporated on December 15, 2015, as a 501c3 organization from a collaboration of two existing initiatives: UAViator and Drone Adventures, initiated by 4 Co-Founders: Sonja Betschart and Adam Klaptocz of Drone Adventures based in Switzerland, and Patrick Meier and Andrew Schroeder of UAViators based in the U.S.[7][8]

In 2016, WeRobotics in partnership with Rockefeller Foundation tested the development of local knowledge hubs focused on drones and other robotics applications in three countries: Nepal, Tanzania and Peru, which resulted in setup of first Flying Labs.[9] In 2017, WeRobotics started collaboration with USAID, Hewlett Foundation, IADB, and MIT Solve.[10] In the same year, WeRobotics launched new Flying Labs in Fiji and Panama to explore activities in the South Pacific and Central America.[11] In 2018, WeRobotics introduced its network model to allow for scale of the Flying Labs Network. By end of 2018, the network grew to 17 independent Flying Labs globally which further grew to 41 in December 2023, it has enlarged its funders and partners, adding to the list the Autodesk Foundation, IADB, Omidyar Network, Fondation Botnar, Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation, World Bank and WFP to mention few.[12][13] In 2022, Sonja Betschart, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, was selected for Ashoka Fellow in Switzerland, and she appeared on 2024 list of 50 Over 50 by Forbes.[14][15]

Vision and mission[edit]

Since 2015, WeRobotics invests in creation of sustainable and resilient local communities globally that are supported by local experts in civilian drones, data and AI technologies. In collaboration with local, and global actors it created Flying Labs Network with aim of allowing communities to leverage technology solutions that adapt to their local contexts and needs.[16][17][18]

Impact and Activities[edit]

Since 2016, WeRobotics works with local communities to create local knowledge hubs, called Flying Labs, to support and train local partners to address local problems with technology solutions by deploying technology for local social good applications (defined as applications that link to one or several SDGs), including drone data collection & analysis and transportation.[19][20]

2015-2020[edit]

In 2016, WeRobotics in Nepal established the Katmandu Flying Lab which helps in creating and supplying of maps during disasters like earthquakes and Landslides.[21] In 2017, WeRobotics in Peru helped in addressing the Peruvian Amazon basin medical issues, and Amazon animal bites by rapid deployment of health care resources using UAVs.[22] In March 2018, in collaboration with the Insect Pest Control Laboratory of the International Atomic Energy Agency and during a Zika virus outbreak, WeRobotics introduced 284,200 sterile male mosquitoes around Carnaíba do Sertão, Brazil, interrupting the reproductive behavior of the fertile mosquitoes.[23][8]

In May 2018, WeRobotics ran event to update and expand the Humanitarian UAV Code of Conduct.[24] In 2019, in partnership with Red Wing Labs, WeRobotics did a work for the U.S. Centre for Disease Control as a delivery in response to medical emergencies in Papua New Guinea.[25] WeRobotics worked with the Red Cross in Fiji to map damage to buildings caused by Cyclone Keni.[26]

2021-present[edit]

In 2021, the company released a children's picture book called Ariel & Friends about the use of drones for social good.[27] Since 2022, Flying Labs in Uganda has been helping mitigate risks for coffee farmers by capturing multispectral and RGB imagery via drones with cameras to help spot crop health issues that are often invisible to the human eye alone.[28] Flying Labs works with World Vision in implementation of various projects, like in large scale reforestation in Kenya in 2021,[29][30] and in farmer-managed natural regeneration in Tanzania.[31]

In May 2022, Kenyan Flying Labs with EPFL's Laboratory of Urban Transport Systems (LUTS), launched a joint experiment to test LUTS' innovative approach to traffic congestion in Nairobi.[32] [33] Flying Labs helps in surveying of land for irrigation and agriculture in Burkina Faso.[34]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Farr, Christina (2017-11-14). "Delivering medical supplies into the remote Amazon is a big challenge, but drones could help". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  2. ^ Rogers, Kelli (6 November 2017). "Drone, meet the humanitarian cluster approach". Devex.
  3. ^ Harper, Nicole (2022-04-20). "Service drones streamline health supply chains in the Global South". ITU Hub. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  4. ^ "Moving on from WeRobotics, with Gratitude". iRevolutions. 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  5. ^ Correspondent, Our (2022-05-12). "Redwing Labs, Flying Labs collaborate as technology partner". www.itln.in. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  6. ^ Wight, Andrew. "Who Is Flying Drones In Namibia And What Are They Doing?". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  7. ^ "Drones for good 2.0: How WeRobotics is redefining the use of unmanned systems in developing countries - Robohub". robohub.org. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  8. ^ a b "How bug-delivering drones are helping defeat deadly diseases". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  9. ^ Peralta, Joseph (2018-08-29). "Motivating Change: How the Data Revolution Can Feed the Next Green Revolution". The Rockefeller Foundation. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  10. ^ "Join our Drone Training in Tanzania!". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  11. ^ "Meet the Youngest Drone Pilots in Fiji". iRevolutions. 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  12. ^ "Autodesk Foundation and WeRobotics team up to reduce the spread of Zika Virus in Brazil – Por Dentro da Autodesk Brasil". blogs.autodesk.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  13. ^ "Systems Innovation". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  14. ^ "ASHOKA WELCOMES SONJA BETSCHART AS A NEW FELLOW | Ashoka". www.ashoka.org. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  15. ^ McGrath, Maggie. "50 Over 50: Europe, Middle East And Africa 2024". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  16. ^ Wight, Andrew. "Meet The Women Using Drones To Help Prevent Forest Fires In Bolivia". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  17. ^ "Systems Innovation". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  18. ^ April 2022, Catherine Cheney // 14 (2022-04-14). "A robotics group offers ideas to 'shift power' to drive localization". Devex. Retrieved 2024-04-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Automation for sustainable development | Engineer Live". www.engineerlive.com. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  20. ^ "Aerial Robotics for Search & Rescue: State of the Art?". iRevolutions. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  21. ^ "When Disaster Strikes, He Creates A 'Crisis Map' That Helps Save Lives". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  22. ^ Chen, Angus (2017-02-13). "A $40,000 Drone Failed To Lift Off. But There Was A Silver Lining". NPR. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  23. ^ Wu, Katherine J. "Do Not Fear the Drones Air-Dropping 50,000 Mosquitoes From Above". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  24. ^ swissinfo.ch, <Celia Luterbacher> in Boston. "How drones are transforming humanitarian aid". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  25. ^ Cheney, Catherine (20 May 2019). "What role should donors play in helping drones for delivery take flight?". Devex.
  26. ^ "Do no harm: A code to guide use of humanitarian drones". SciDev.Net. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  27. ^ "New picture book series on drones celebrates local expertise and culture". DroneDJ. 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  28. ^ "Uganda Flying Labs aids coffee farmers, using drones and GIS". www.esri.com. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  29. ^ "Drones Are Helping Large-Scale Reforestation Efforts in Kenya". Flying Labs Blog. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  30. ^ Johnson, Khari. "Drones May Help Replant Forests—If Enough Seeds Take Root". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  31. ^ "Regenerative farming solutions in Tanzania with PIX4Dfields". Pix4D. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  32. ^ Brouet, Anne-Muriel (2022-07-13). "Monitoring city mobility from the skies". EPFL News.
  33. ^ "An Ambitious Drone Traffic Monitoring Experiment with Kenya Flying…". WeRobotics. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  34. ^ Wight, Andrew. "What Are Drones Doing Cheaper And Faster In Burkina Faso?". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
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