Dronadeep · DD-NAV1
Keep flying when GNSS is denied.
What it does
Finish the mission. Come home. Without GNSS.
DD-NAV1 sits on board as a companion computer to your flight controller. It takes the mission waypoints from your existing ground control station and guides the drone along that path, even after GNSS is lost. Its built-in camera and Lidar, and the AI that runs on the box, keep the drone on its path. Nothing leaves the aircraft to make that decision.
Works with your GCS
It connects to the ground control station your drone already uses, over MAVLink. The mission is planned the way it is planned today.
Sees its surroundings
Lidar and camera vision sense obstacles and map the terrain below.
Decides on board
The AI runs on the box itself, so it keeps working when the link does not.
Light enough to carry
Specialised hardware and proprietary AI, for navigation at low power, size and weight. It attaches to the drone as a payload.
Why it matters
When GNSS goes quiet, the mission should not.
Most small drones depend on GNSS to know where they are. Take it away and the flight controller loses the reference it uses to hold a route or find its way home. In jammed or contested airspace, that is the operating condition, not the edge case. DD-NAV1 gives the drone a second way to know where it is.
| GNSS-only drone | With Dronadeep DD-NAV1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Position source | GNSS alone | GNSS when it is there. When it is not, onboard navigation from the built-in camera, Lidar, IMU and gyroscope |
| GNSS lost mid-mission | Falls back to its configured failsafe | Carries on with the planned mission |
| Getting home | Needs GNSS to find the home point | Returns home on onboard navigation |
| Where it runs | Not applicable | On the drone, as a companion computer |
Ready to demo
Two missions, ready to demonstrate.
Both missions follow the waypoints from the drone's existing GCS, with DD-NAV1 working alongside the flight controller. A demo set-up takes some planning, so get in touch early and tell us what you want to see. Book a demo.
01
Complete a mission with no GNSS
DD-NAV1 fetches the mission waypoints from your GCS, and the drone flies the planned route to completion without GNSS, using onboard AI.
02
Return home when GNSS drops out
The drone takes off on GNSS. When GNSS is lost mid-flight, DD-NAV1 brings it safely back home.
Technical overview
Built to fit the drone you already fly.
- Connectivity
- DroneCAN (preferred) and UART
- Autopilots
- PX4 and ArduPilot
- Ground control
- Works with your existing GCS, over MAVLink
- Built-in sensors
- EO camera, Lidar, IMU, gyroscope
- Navigation
- GNSS-denied mission and return to home
- Power
- 5 V, 3 A
- Weight
- Under 0.5 kg
When the flight controller loses GNSS, DD-NAV1 guides it to complete the mission or return to home, as you configure.
Dronadeep DD-NAV1 is patent pending, application No. 202641077199.
Integration
Fitting DD-NAV1 to your drone.
If your flight controller is configured to accept a companion computer, we can have DD-NAV1 working on your drone within a week. DD-NAV1 sits on the aircraft as that companion computer and works with the flight controller you already use.
| Your flight controller | What integration involves |
|---|---|
| Already accepts a companion computer and is configured for it | We integrate DD-NAV1 and have it working with your flight controller. That takes FC tuning, the connection itself, and communication between the two |
| Needs firmware changes to accept a companion computer | We work with the drone manufacturer to make those changes |
Interface and integration details are shared under NDA.
For drone manufacturers
From your airframe to a GNSS-denied product.
Defence, police and critical-infrastructure buyers fly where GNSS can be jammed. A drone that depends on GNSS alone loses the reference it uses to hold a route or find its way home. DD-NAV1 lets you offer GNSS-denied navigation on your own platform, without building it from scratch. There are four ways we work with drone manufacturers, and terms are agreed with each partner.
01
Supply DD-NAV1 units
DD-NAV1 boxes supplied for the drones you integrate.
02
Joint integration
We integrate DD-NAV1 on your platform with your team, including flight controller firmware work where it is needed.
03
Custom AI for your drones
Detection, tracking or other AI, built on DD-NAV1 for your platform and your buyers.
04
Sell alongside you
We take GNSS-denied capability to market alongside you, on terms agreed with each partner.
Complete system
Need the whole system? We supply it.
If you would rather not integrate anything yourself, we supply the complete system: a drone with DD-NAV1 already integrated and working with it, delivered ready to fly. You get GNSS-denied navigation without first having to sort out the flight controller, the mounting or the set-up.
01
Integration and FC tuning
The drone and DD-NAV1 integrated, the flight controller tuned, and the system delivered ready to fly.
02
Custom AI on the box
Detection, tracking or other AI, built on DD-NAV1 for your mission.
03
Mission set-up
Mission plans prepared and loaded for your area.
04
Training and support
Your team trained to fly it, and support while it is in service.
Use cases
Where GNSS cannot be trusted.
- Defence ISR and reconnaissance
- Border and perimeter surveillance
- Critical infrastructure
- Police and homeland security
Next step
Put it on your hardware.
We run scoped technical evaluations with integrators, OEMs and operators. Tell us the platform and the constraint you are up against, and we will tell you whether we can help.