Vertigo: Innovative Start-Up Power with Ultisense LRF

We are excited to share the experience of the highly innovative start-up Vertigo with our Laser Rangefinders. They develop cutting-edge drone gimbals with intelligent AI support for highest military requirements.

The company Vertigo

Vertigo was founded in Warsaw, Poland with the goal to improve military drone applications. Today Vertigo offers different drone systems equipped with high-performance gimbals. These gimbals are essential for a variety of critical military applications, including reconnaissance, artillery guidance, search and rescue missions. Based on lessons learned from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Vertigo team is intensively focussed on addressing the challenges in GNSS-denied environments where their advanced AI algorithms play an important role for geolocation.

“As a small company, we aim to surpass the competition by focussing on high-performance gimbals with the most innovative AI solutions. The Safran Vectronix LRF plays a crucial role in achieving these goals.”
(Greg, Wojdyga, CEO Vertigo Global)

How does the system look like, where you want to integrate our LRF?

The LRF will be an addition to our multi-sensor camera gimbals, which feature top-quality infrared cameras and visible light cameras up to 30x optical zoom. Our advanced gimbals have sufficient computing power to analyze video streams live, which allows us to perform initial operations such as tracking and framing objects like drones, cars, etc. Additionally, our system offers rapid library construction, facilitating easy integration of new elements. At the same time, we ensure that size and power requirements are kept to a minimum.

What is the role of the LRF in your system?

Some of our clients want to use the gimbal for artillery support, where precise target location is crucial. If GNSS is available, the LRF measurements reliably provide the precise coordinates of the observed point. However, if GNSS is denied, geolocation becomes challenging, and here we also rely on LRF measurements. Our algorithms enable us to connect a known reference point to an unknown target point by measuring the distance using the LRF. By pointing our gimbal at the points and utilizing our gimbals’ encoders, we can perform precise triangulation to determine the geolocation of the target point. This capability is essential for achieving the accuracy needed for effective artillery support. In our gimbals, we use the LRF 3013, which meets the precision requirements of our customers.

Can you give us feedback to the LRF performance?

In our experience, the LRF module has been exceptionally reliable. We have never encountered any issues with it, and this is not just because I am speaking to Vectronix – it is the absolute truth. The user manual is straightforward and easy to follow, and the connectors are highly functional. I can only recommend this module.

How challenging was the integration?

We faced a minor challenge with the protection buffer between the front window and the LRF. Designing a precise and reliable buffer was difficult, but knowing its crucial role in achieving 100% range performance, our mechanical engineers successfully developed a solution. Safran Vectronix provided clear instructions on the appropriate glass and materials to use, which were easy to source. Besides this, the mechanical integration was completed quickly without any problems. Similarly, the software integration was also straightforward, taking only two days as the protocol is intuitive.

Did you contact our customer support?

No, we did not need any customer support for integration assistance. However, we were pleasantly surprised when the responsible Vectronix Sales Manager and the Customer Support Engineer visited us once and provided valuable tips. This was super helpful and highly appreciated.

Did you order a loan unit for testing?

Yes, we ordered the LRF 3013 and LRF 6742 as loan units. Being a small company, we have budget constraints and were grateful to receive these modules for dedicated testing without any cost. Also the customs documentation process was straightforward as Vectronix handled all the documentation. It was impressive – the package arrived, and with only minimal paperwork we could immediately start testing. This level of support is great.

What about tests and specifications?

Being a small company, we do not have the opportunity to conduct detailed laboratory tests. Instead, we conducted numerous field tests by flying our drone and taking measurements with the gimbal. I personally believe that these real-world tests provide the most valuable feedback. In these tests, our clients were consistently pleased with the LRF’s performance, even when they encountered occasional issues with the camera or stabilization.

Are there any factors beside the product itself, that played an important role in your decision to choose us?

Absolutely. I find the people at Vectronix to be very friendly and open, and I have a great deal of trust in them. It does not feel like a typical customer relationship, it is more of a partnership where Vectronix and I share a common goal. Even though we are a small company and we will not purchase a large quantity of LRFs, Vectronix recognizes our innovative potential and provides us with significant attention and support.