Brinc Drones founder and CEO Blake Resnick has a big vision for what the company’s largest-ever drone can accomplish.
“To replace the police helicopter,” Resnick said with a smile when asked about his goal for the device. “And to build the most capable 911 response drone ever.”
The Seattle-based maker of first-responder drones for police, fire and other emergency services unveiled its new Guardian drone during a celebration at its also newly revealed headquarters and factory in the Queen Anne neighborhood on Tuesday.
“Getting this out is a big deal for me,” Resnick said. “I’ve wanted to build this product for the better part of a decade, it’s just taken a while to build up the organizational capacity to really do that. It feels great to finally be here.”
Guardian is the world’s first Starlink-connected drone. An integrated panel on top of the device gives the drone unlimited range anywhere in the world, maintaining a reliable data link when traditional cellular or terrestrial infrastructure is unavailable.
The drone can also be paired with Guardian Station, a robotic charging nest that automatically swaps batteries and helps the drone quickly redeploy to a new mission without having to wait for any charging downtime.
Other features and highlights include:
- Flight time: 62 minutes.
- Range: Up to eight miles, versus three miles for current systems.
- Top speed: 60 mph.
- Cameras: Two 4K cameras with 640x optical zoom; two 1280-resolution HD thermal cameras with 64x total zoom (largely lossless).
- Spotlight: Laser excited phosphor white SkyBeam spotlight; 1,000 lumens, highly collimated beam.
- Autonomy: Integrates with computer-aided dispatch; can auto-launch on 911 call with GPS coordinate.
Guardian’s imaging capabilities are designed to provide crystal-clear visuals day or night. The drone also features a built-in laser rangefinder, a speaker that’s three times louder than a police siren, and a ballistic parachute with its own technology for independent deployment in an emergency.
The same robotic system that is used to swap batteries can be used to load different payloads onto Guardian, such as a defibrillator for a heart attack victim, a flotation device for someone who is drowning, or emergency medication such as Narcan for an overdose victim.
Guardian measures 75 inches wide when fully unfolded and weighs 38.6 pounds, with a max takeoff weight of 48.6 pounds.
Guardian has about 900 current customers, most of which are in the U.S. Resnick points to a huge market ahead of 20,000 police departments, 30,000 fire departments, and 80,000 police and fire stations. If half of those buildings have $100,000 response drones and recharging pods on the roof, he thinks Brinc will be very successful.
A new police helicopter can cost upwards of $4 million. Add in thousands of dollars per flight hour, engine maintenance, fuel costs, etc., and Resnick is bullish about Guardian’s potential to be called on to chase a stolen car or zoom in on a burning building.
“When you compare the cost, we’re in a different universe,” he said.
Related:
- Drone home: Brinc moving to massive new HQ and factory in Seattle amid startup’s rapid growth
- Drone capital of the world? Seattle could be a big winner in the U.S. crackdown on DJI and others
- Public safety drone maker Brinc raises $75M, forms strategic alliance with Motorola
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