In April 2016, Boeing launched HorizonX, a new division dedicated to identifying and supporting emerging technologies.
With a focus on aerospace and manufacturing, the division's first two investments included Washington, D.C.-based Upskill, a company developing enterprise software for augmented reality (AR) wearables; and Zunum Aero, a Kirkland, Washington-based company that is working on designing a hybrid electric airplane that could reduce the cost of airfare by as much as 80 percent.
Yesterday, HorizonX announced a new investment that could lead to significant advancements in autonomous flight. The company invested in Pittsburgh-based Near Earth Autonomy, a private company that was spun off from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
Near Earth specializes in technologies that help enable autonomous flight, including sensor kits, collision detection and avoidance systems, and human-machine interfaces. The technology has helped aircraft inspect, map, and survey land as well as other infrastructure.
Boeing's HorizonX did not release the size of the investment. However, the partnership does include a joint effort to explore potential new products and applications, specifically urban mobility.
Near Earth's founders have been developing autonomous systems for more than 30 years. The company is currently working with the Office of Naval Research to build an autonomous delivery platform for aerial cargo, and they also partnered with the U.S. Army in 2010 on the world's first full-size autonomous helicopter flights.
Near Earth Autonomy is HorizonX's fifth venture. Including the aforementioned, the innovation cell has also invested in C360, a Pittsburgh-based company focused on immersive virtual reality video; and SparkCognition, an Austin, TX-based company that developed security software powered by artificial intelligence.