26 August, 2024– The war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on warfare. It is sometimes referred to as the “first drone war” in history. These days, both sides rely on small, unmanned aerial vehicles. One side employs massive fleets of these drones. The opposing side uses them for high-risk surveillance. Additionally, precise strikes against adversarial targets.
These little, low-cost drones have first-person vision (FPV) capability installed. Effective drone deployment on the battlefield is growing. They take the place of missiles and manned planes. Man-powered aircraft and missiles are many orders of magnitude more expensive. There is one issue with these unmanned planes, though. The opposition can jam their radio transmissions with ease. Which results in missing their targets or crashing.
A Los Angeles-based startup electronics company is tackling this problem. Their goal is to create workable answers. Supplying anti-jamming technologies to Ukraine and its allies. DroneLife spoke with Amol Parikh. He is the co-CEO of Doodle Labs. In the interview, he said, “I found it unexpected.” He expounded upon this idea. But there had been a startling degree of creativity. During the conflict, forces utilized drones in a multitude of innovative ways.
Parikh made a statement. The company has concentrated its latest endeavors on assisting various drone manufacturers. They have focused their efforts on achieving this particular purpose. Among them are businesses with headquarters in Ukraine. Businesses of allies are also included. This includes the American business PDW. The UK’s Evolve Dynamics is also included. The company offers anti-jamming technology to these manufacturers. For combat drones of different sizes and sorts. Parikh emphasized the release of Sense recently. The multi-band Mesh Rider Radios from Doodle Labs now include Sense. The official announcement from the firm, Sense, tackles issues related to interference. The announcement highlights how Sense addresses these challenges. It targets linked teams and long-range, mission-critical robotics. It strengthens the datalink’s resiliency.
Parikh made a statement. He concluded, “The anti-jamming capability of Sense has proven to be effective.” He pointed out that in specific settings, this efficacy is especially noticeable. “Unlike ours, commercial drones do not have specific data hookups.” He clarified his point. These bands are well-known and very jammable. FPV drones, some of which are custom-built, present a comparable challenge. Despite their unexpected potency as combat weapons, these drones have a serious problem. Their cost of production is very minimal. RC controllers are usually used for piloting them. These data lines are prone to jamming. They broadcast signals on a well-known bandwidth.
“They present a chance,” Parikh said. “Currently, drones can cost hundreds of dollars each. It used to cost tens of thousands. They represent a different class or variety of drones. Doodle Labs created a Sense solution just for these UAVs. The drone gains dexterity when thinking generally, thanks to this strategy. A radio system may immediately alter its operational frequency thanks to this functionality. This method fortifies the FPV drones’ RC controls. It strengthens their resistance to jamming attempts and lowers costs as well.
Equipment Authorized By DIU
Doodle Labs is a US-based corporation with production facilities in Singapore. The corporation developed the radio technology. Under the Defense Innovation Unit of the United States Army’s funding. The rapid adoption of commercial technologies is the primary goal of this section. They intend to equip the US armed forces with these technologies. In essence, they wish to use these technologies. NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Doodle Labs’ engagements and relationships extend to the Navy. Creating safe radio communication technologies is their aim.
Among the components are our radios, as you can see. Many of the platforms that were recently added to the cleared list are ones that we support. In 2008, Doodle Labs opened its doors. It was a subsidiary of smartBridges, a Wi-Fi technology firm. The company focused on developing integrated wireless solutions. Their target market was the emerging robotics industry. Its primary technology relied on the long-range wireless intellectual property of smartBridges.
Parikh said. Owing to its commercial experience, the company ventured into the defense sector. This changeover was effective and well-planned. This was an astute and practical strategy. Adhering to existing regulations holds great significance for the military sector.
“We have FCC certification for every single one of our unlicensed radios,” stated the man. We pay close attention to adhering to these directives. “On the defense side, we provide outstanding, high-performing, low-cost options,” added the CEO. These choices last longer when it comes to federal frequency bands. Doodle Labs’s dependence on technology has been a major factor in its success. Instead of beginning from scratch, this strategy has concentrated on utilizing already-existing technologies. Instead of beginning from scratch, the strategy in this case is to produce things. The company’s technical staff made a strategic decision that led to this strategy.
We base our systems on Qualcomm chipsets,” he stated. A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi chipset is what we start with. Next, we move it to different ranges of frequencies.
Qualcomm and Doodle Labs are still collaborating. They provide the powerhouse in semiconductors and software with input for evaluating its processors. By creating business standards, this partnership aids Doodle Labs in improving its goods. The benefit is that Doodle Labs can produce goods at lower prices. They achieve this by utilizing existing technologies. In comparison, its rivals have spent millions on research and development. This covers big businesses that develop new technologies. Even though Doodle Labs’ present focus is on the defense industry, according to Parikh, there is still a lot of commercial activity in the company. They create drone communication systems for mapping, surveying, and warehousing work. They work with robotics firms as well. This includes those that make use of quadrupeds, like the robot Spot from Boston Dynamics.
“We function within the dual-use category,” he declared. Both have breakthroughs, diverse applications, and huge-scale potential.
He mentioned the company’s Sense feature, for instance. This feature improves anti-jamming performance on the battlefield by providing frequency agility. “It works well on the commercial side,” he added. As opposed to this, in an urban setting, interference arises unintentionally. It originates from countless Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets and associated sources.
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