Creation of Route Mapping and Drone Piloting Software Made in Switzerland

Aero41 is a company that creates autonomous drones for processing agricultural areas (vineyards). An alternative to helicopters, 100% made in Switzerland. (video report, by the newspaper Le Temps)

For one and a half years, we collaborated with their team to create the pilot screens and the route drawing screens for the project. Since then, we have continued to support the company to enable them to take the project in-house, as they have hired an internal engineer to further develop the product.

Details

Our collaboration with Aero41 was an exciting and challenging project for our team. We worked closely with their team to develop flight planning and drone piloting software that met the specific needs of their target market.

User-Centered Design

We began by focusing on the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design for their software. We employed user-centered design techniques to ensure that the software was easy to use and intuitive for users, even those without prior experience with drones or drawing software. We also worked on the visual aspect of the software to ensure it was attractive and pleasant to use.

We organized UX-focused meetings with the vineyard owners who would later use the drone, in order to gather concrete feedback on the user interface and ensure that the software perfectly met their specific needs. This allowed us to adapt our design based on their feedback and significantly improve the software’s user experience.

In parallel, we conducted competitive intelligence and market analysis to help Aero41 better understand their target market. We studied existing competitors and market trends to ensure that the software we were developing was competitive and met the needs of their target market.

A Drawing and Management Tool, and a Remote Control Piloting Interface

Regarding functionalities, we developed a web application that allows users to create flight missions for the drones. This application includes a drawing tool for creating areas and routes, as well as an intelligent route creation algorithm. The web application is also multilingual to cater to users in different regions. Additionally, we developed a mobile application for drone piloting, managing flight histories for pilots, offline mode, and connection to a PX4 flight controller. We integrated WMTS data and maps to enhance the system’s accuracy and reliability.

Remote Continuous Integration Workflow

Finally, we created a remote continuous integration workflow to facilitate the development and deployment process. We worked closely with the Aero41 team to ensure that the development process was transparent and that we met their specific needs.

This collaboration lasted a year and a half, during which we worked closely with the Aero41 team to develop a product that met their specific needs. After the end of our collaboration, Aero41 hired an internal engineer to continue developing the product we had started designing together. It was a highly rewarding experience for our team, and we are proud of the work we accomplished with Aero41 to create high-quality flight planning and drone piloting software, 100% made in Switzerland.