Perspective Robotics AG (Fotokite) - Experts & Thought Leaders

Fotokite AG, a Swiss and US-based scale-up making fully autonomous tethered UAVs for firefighting and public safety teams, proudly announces the successful closure of its latest Series B financing round. The company has secured around CHF 10 Million ($ 11 Million) investment to further accelerate its growth, bolster its R&D and expand its operations globally. Carbyne Equity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in growing European businesses, led Fotokite’s financing round with existing investors including Swisscanto Private Equity Growth I, and Credit Suisse Entrepreneur Capital Ltd. Development of Fotokite’s products “Fotokite’s differentiating technology and accomplished management team perfectly align with our investment requirements. Hence, we are delighted to accompany the international commercialization and continuous technological development of Fotokite’s products in order to provide first responders with equipment that is worthy of their critical missions,” said Markus Petersen, Managing Partner, Carbyne Equity Partners. Fotokite’s expansion efforts Fotokite’s expansion efforts have led to a significant increase in its presence with operations With this recent funding, Fotokite has solidified its position as the premier provider of actively-tethered drone technology for emergency response teams. The company’s innovative solutions, which have been widely recognized for their effectiveness and reliability in critical scenarios empower first responders with advanced aerial capabilities to enhance situational awareness, streamline search and rescue operations, and save lives in critical situations. The recent investment allows Fotokite to expand its public safety customer base, meet new market opportunities, develop additional product features, and scale up operations. Fotokite’s expansion efforts have led to a significant increase in its presence with operations now spanning across six continents. Autonomous solutions “We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our latest funding round, which marks a significant milestone for our company,” said Bart Slager, CEO of Fotokite. Bart Slager adds, “This investment underscores the confidence in our vision and the value of our autonomous solutions for first responders. With our expanded resources and global reach, we are poised to make an even greater impact in helping emergency response teams save lives and protect communities around the world.”

The Fotokite Sigma has recently been mentioned as one of the more common tethered drones used by police and fire departments to provide simple and easy situational awareness. Drones (including tethered drones) are becoming critical tools for all kinds of use cases in law enforcement and firefighting. In many aspects of their emergency operations, a new era driven by drone usage is emerging, featured in the latest article, ‘11 Ways Police Departments are using drones’ from Police1.com. Wide adoption of drones From traffic crash reconstruction, pre-tactical deployment, reconnaissance, special ops, fire response to search and rescue, classical drones, as well as tethered drones are now known for bringing additional safety during critical situations and an improved operational effectiveness over all. Emergency teams and public safety chiefs are embracing this new technology into their daily operations. Drones are being used for everything from special operations and reconnaissance before tactical deployments, reconstruction of traffic crashes and life-saving search and rescue missions. Free-flying drones and tethered drones Emergency teams and public safety chiefs are embracing this new technology in their daily operations Free-flying drones along with tethered drones are now allowing first responders to gain game changing situational awareness during critical situations, resulting in an improved operational effectiveness. Emergency teams and public safety chiefs are embracing this new technology in their daily operations. For example, here is a great example of how the Oklahoma City Fire Department uses Fotokite in their daily operations. The simplicity and persistent ‘eye in the sky’ is driving more and more public safety, fire, emergency management and departments of transportation to harness the value that tethered drones bring to their deployments. Stationary and real-time situational awareness Providing stationary, real-time situational awareness, as simple as a one-button touch, at many emergency scenes, as described in the following excerpt from article, ‘11 Ways Police Departments are using drones’ from Police1.com. Tethered drones are another tool being deployed by law enforcement and other public safety agencies. The drones are deployed in a stationary mode, which allows continuous over-watch. The tether serves as its power source and negates the need to change batteries. The tethered operation is relatively simple: a one-button launch and one-button land. Tethered drones can be mounted on a vehicle Fotokite is one of the more common tethered drones and sees significant deployment by fire departments" “The tethered drone offers a way to maintain the scene perimeter and both visual optic and thermal images that can be streamed in real-time. Tethered drones can be mounted on a vehicle, in a compartment, or be portable in a Pelican case and launched in seconds. Fotokite is one of the more common tethered drones and sees significant deployment by fire departments,” said Chief Charles Werner. In addition, a recent Droneresponders.org research report shows that more than 5,000 public safety agencies have already implemented drone programs in the U.S. An estimated 2/3 are law enforcement agencies. Fotokite to monitor fire and emergency response According to the IEDO 2022 report of Best practices in robotics, whether in firefighting, traffic monitoring or crowd management, autonomy over longer periods of time is one of the key advantages of tethered drones (wired drones). The Merrill Fire Department uses Fotokite to monitor a long-lasting fire and emergency response. Fotokite is proud to work in close partnership with some of the best public safety teams in the world. Thanks to a strong partnership with Axon Air, Fotokite is continuously working to introduce tethered drones to law enforcement teams that have existing or new drone programs in place. Fotokite also has a technology partnership with fire equipment leader - MSA, which offers an enhanced connected platform called FireGrid. Fotokite Sigma tethered drones As a result, Fotokite Sigma tethered drones are currently being flown by the Fire Department of New York, Chicago Fire Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, Montreal SPVM, London Metropolitan Police, Paris and Zurich Fire Brigades and many more.

Fotokite a Swiss startup making fully autonomous tethered UAVs for firefighting and public safety teams, announces that it has closed a CHF 13.7M ($14.8M) series B financing round and outlines its plans to expand operations in 2022. MSA Safety Inc., the pioneer in the development, manufacture, and supply of advanced safety solutions that protect people and facility infrastructures, led Fotokite’s financing round alongside Swisscanto Invest, a Zurich-based tech growth fund with existing investors including Credit Suisse Entrepreneur Capital Ltd. and Sony Innovation Fund participating as well. MSA Safety’s investment in Fotokite took place in parallel with a Joint Development Agreement with the Swiss UAV manufacturer signed in July 2021. Commitment to innovation “We are thrilled to partner with Fotokite and its management team, which shares our commitment to innovation and passion for firefighter safety," states Nish Vartanian, MSA’s Chairman, President, and CEO Scaling up operations The capital infusion is helping enable Fotokite to scale up operations, further bolster its in-house engineering team, and continue to drive sales of its Fotokite Sigma system in North American and European markets. The company has continued to strengthen its presence in the United States and Canada while expanding its fleet of fielded systems across major European markets such as Switzerland, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. A key component to this market expansion has been the company’s drive to increase the regional accessibility of Fotokite Sigma systems to public safety teams across 17 countries in Europe alone. Innovations in safety MSA has invested heavily in transformative solutions that enhance worker safety in all kinds of environments “MSA has invested heavily in transformative solutions that enhance worker safety in all kinds of environments, and our partnership with Fotokite adds a dynamic new element in that journey.” “Without question, it will be exciting to see the innovations in safety that emerge from our work together,” says Nish Vartanian, MSA’s Chairman, President, and CEO Aerial situational awareness As a self-piloting, actively tethered aerial device, Fotokite Sigma provides immediate aerial situational awareness of an emergency scene to help increase response effectiveness and first responder safety. These situational awareness systems provide fire departments with the overhead aerial capabilities they desire without the safety issues and operational inefficiencies of traditional drones. New appointments The situational awareness systems provide fire departments with the overhead aerial capabilities they desire Additionally, Fotokite announces the appointment of Bart Slager as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Bart was brought onto the Fotokite team as the Chief Financial Officer last September and steps in to lead the team. Chris McCall will transition into a new role as Fotokite’s Chief Corporate Development Officer and be based in California. Dr. Sergei Lupashin, Founder, Chairman, and CTO of Fotokite, has decided to move away from his day-to-day operations role as CTO and will focus solely on his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Authority comment “The entire team is excited to announce the new financing as well as welcome Bart as Fotokite’s new CEO as we grow and expand our capabilities to serve first responders”, says Dr. Lupashin. “Bart brings tremendously valuable experience and insights from his rich career in the aviation industry.” “We are very pleased to have his leadership as we execute on our mission to help teams save lives by providing the best technology and actionable intelligence to first responders,” Dr. Sergei Lupashin, Founder of Fotokite, Chairman

Back in Indianapolis for the first time since 2019, FDIC International 2021 offered a full slate of conference sessions, hands-on training and equipment exhibitions. Attendance was down, but everyone appeared happy to be back at the show, after cancellations and delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Masking compliance was low, despite continuing concerns about COVID-19 and the Delta variant. There was little social distancing. In many respects, the show seemed back to normal. A highlight of the event was the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s (NFFF) 9/11 Stair Climb. It’s a way for attendees to honor and remember those in the fire service community, who gave their lives in the 9/11 tragedy. Hundreds of FDIC participants paid tribute by climbing or walking the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. MSA’s LUNAR hand-held device on display As always, safety was a huge theme at the FDIC exhibition, including development in hand-held tools As always, safety was a huge theme at the FDIC exhibition, including development in hand-held tools. MSA Safety displayed the new LUNAR hand-held device that helps keep firefighting teams connected, combining direction and distance information with thermal imaging to help find separated teammates and decrease response time. LUNAR uses cloud technology to increase fire-scene management capabilities for incident commanders. LUNAR can be used as a stand-alone device or as part of an MSA SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) system. Thermal imaging with edge detection identifies hot spots and ventilation points, so as to simplify navigation through low-visibility environments. Tethered drone and Reveal FirePRO X thermal camera FotoKite (Perspective Robotics AG), which has a joint development agreement with MSA Safety, featured a tethered drone that hovers over the site of an emergency, in order to provide networking capabilities through the tether for better connectivity. Seek Thermal offers the ‘smallest and lightest’ thermal imaging camera, available for US$ 799 and seeks to bring the benefits of thermal technology to every position on the fire team. The Reveal FirePRO X can now be charged using a four-station charging dock priced at US$ 399. The compact size makes the FirePRO X easy to carry and manage, while its high resolution and fast frame rate ensure superior images. Teledyne gas detection systems exhibited Teledyne displayed a range of gas detection systems, starting with the simple Protégé ZM carbon monoxide meter that can clip onto pockets, helmets, and EMS bags. A new product is the Gas Laser, a hand-held device that can quickly scan common venting points from a safe distance, in order to identify the presence of dangerous explosive gas. Teledyne recently acquired FLIR and the combined companies will provide a spectrum of imaging technologies and products spanning X-ray through infrared and from components to complete imaging systems. FDIC International’s Innovation Hub focused on new technologies coming to the fire service Innovation Hub FDIC International’s Innovation Hub focused on new technologies coming to the fire service, featured in a presentation theater on the show floor. Leading the initiative was SafeTech, a College Station, Texas-based non-profit organization, whose mission is to bring new technologies to first responders and armed forces. One featured company was Tracks North America, which provides unmanned vehicles with fork-lift capabilities. Another was Infysort, which makes superabsorbent pellets – ‘hyper-blown polypropylene sorbent nanomaterial’ that can absorb 50 to 60 times its weight in oil. Hale Products SAM control system HURST Jaws of Life demonstrated eDRAULIC 3.0, a new underwater power extrication tool The SAM control system, by Hale Products, is gaining in popularity, offering computerized/integrated water flow controls that manage a fire truck’s pump, tank, intakes and discharges using touch-screen display for simplified interface. The new SAM Smart Nozzle allows firemen to control flow from the end of the fire hose. HURST Jaws of Life demonstrated eDRAULIC 3.0, a new underwater power extrication tool that can withstand salt water. The Lifeline Firehose provides a source of continuous breathable air coming from the nozzle of a fire hose. The patented coupler design enables the continuous air supply, which can also be used to power air tools. Seeking to help small and medium fire departments replace paper documentation, incident management systems offer low-cost digitization. Environmental awareness From Rosenbauer A topic among fire apparatus companies is idle reduction systems designed to shut off the main engine in a fire apparatus when not needed, eliminating loud diesel engine noise and exhaust, while maintaining power for lighting and air conditioning, for example. It is a reflection of growing environmental concerns among fire manufacturers. For example, Rosenbauer’s Green Star system makes idle reduction easy, using electronic controls to shut down the chassis engine on-scene (if the fire pump is not engaged or no aerial operations under way), and starting a diesel-driven Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Pierce Volterra zero-emissions pumpers The first Pierce Volterra zero-emissions pumper has been placed in service in Madison Pierce launched their Volterra platform of electric vehicles. The first Pierce Volterra zero-emissions pumper has been placed in service in Madison, Wisconsin. At FDIC International 2021, the Pierce booth included an electric vehicle technology kiosk and took attendees through the electric fire truck’s attributes. CMC Rescue Rope and Harness Systems CMC Rescue Inc. demonstrated rope and harness systems for rescue operations, including special duffle bags and access packs for easy transport of harnesses. The CMC Clutch is now available in 13 mm and 11 mm models, for hauling, lowering, ascending, descending, belaying and deploying twin-tension rope systems. The CMC Triskelion 10-foot tripod features rapid deployment, for example, over a hole where a rescue is taking place and is certified to NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards.