US software developer DreamHammer launches drone control software

23 May 2013

DreamHammer, a software development company based in California, has rolled out a beta version of its drone control software, a platform that aims to integrate robots and unrelated unmanned drones from different manufacturers into one system.

Called Ballista, the company said the open software platform allows for the co-ordinated control of multiple unmanned vehicles across space, air, sea and land. Apparently, the device can run from nearly any computer, including a tablet or a phone.

Ballista includes a software development kit that can be licensed by developers to integrate their drones, robots and third-party apps.

Up to now DreamHammer, which is based in Santa Monica, has been providing the Ballista platform to military and intelligence customers in the US.

The current pre-general release means Ballista will be available to drone and robot manufacturers and developers.

Nelson Paez, CEO of DreamHammer, said the software goes beyond military applications to work with all robots and unmanned drones.

He said the software could be applied to industries, such as logistics and agriculture, to link multiple drones into one master system, all controlled by one person.

“A drone could be as simple as a farm tractor or as complicated as an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle or a satellite,” explained Paez. “It can be anything with a computer interface that is leveraging intelligence, technology and diversified control.”

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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