Jane Cleland-Huang, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Department Chair, Computer Science and Engineering
Drone Response, a high-flying drone startup launched out of the University of Notre Dame in 2021, recently announced a strategic partnership with the State of Oklahoma’s Department of Commerce, a leader in advanced air mobility and unmanned aerial vehicles. The partnership will give Drone Response access to a wealth of resources that includes state-of-the-art infrastructure needed to further develop and test the company’s AI-autonomous drone management software technology.
The announcement highlighted that Drone Response will establish an advanced research and development and integrated engineering testing lab in Oklahoma. The lab is anticipated to open this fall and include members of the Drone Response development team.
Commenting on the partnership, Drone Response CEO Bill Reh said, “Oklahoma has created the most advanced ecosystem in the United States for drone, unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned traffic management technology research, development and testing. They are inviting tech companies like ours to come and use their resources to accelerate commercialization. We have a tremendous amount of ongoing development and safety assurance testing, so Oklahoma is the right place for us to expand.”
The technology behind Drone Response was developed by Jane Cleland-Huang, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and chair of the Computer Science and Engineering department at Notre Dame. She and her team of software engineers, innovators and researchers are the masterminds who have combined machine learning, AI, computer vision and other advanced technology that allow multiple drones to fly safely as a “team” and communicate with each other.
“This strategic partnership with the State of Oklahoma propels us at Drone Response closer to our mission of ensuring safer and more efficient responses by first responders through the use of drones,” said Cleland-Huang. “Oklahoma's commitment to drone innovation aligns seamlessly with our vision, and together, we are poised to accelerate the use of drones in public safety.”
Drone technology, once the domain of the military, is now seen as a critical tool for first responders such as police, emergency medical systems and fire fighters. Drones—or in the case of Drone Response—swarms of drones that work in a coordinated, collaborative manner, act as an extension of frontline responders, providing a level of situational awareness and threat detection not available from traditional ground-level approaches.
Reh says there is a huge need for Drone Response’s technology, which, he says, has the potential to have a significant societal impact on a global scale. “There are so many applications such as riots, mass shootings, major wildfire, and search and rescue where we can have a positive impact on how first responders address and manage situations and outcomes.”
Reh has been involved in the AI space since 1988. A serial entrepreneur, he has launched and exited multiple AI-related companies. He came to the Notre Dame IDEA Center in 2021 at the invitation of his son Hunter, then a master’s candidate in the ESTEEM Program, to serve as an advisor to Drone Response. In 2021, Reh was asked to lead the company’s commercialization efforts as CEO. The company is currently raising a $400,000 pre-seed outside investment round, with an eye to a larger seed round in late 2024.
An additional win for Drone Response and Notre Dame is job creation as a number of students have joined the Drone Response team recently. “Coaching, developing and mentoring bright young students who then become part of our team is a huge advantage for everyone,” Reh says.
Although DroneResponse will set up a testing lab in Oklahoma, Cleland-Huang and her lab at Notre Dame will continue to play a collaborative role in Drone Response’s commercialization efforts in South Bend.