Archangel Imaging solves real-world problems with AI copilots | Luminate N.Y. Spotlight

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Headquartered in Oxford, UK, and Syracuse, NY, Archangel Imaging is one of the participants in the latest Luminate cohort of startups working on technologies enabled by optics, photonics and imaging (OPI).

The company is creating Artificial Intelligence (AI) copilots for deployed machinery. The AI systems, designed to function without depending on existing infrastructure, are not just tools but dependable teammates. The AI copilot can work alongside humans to solve complex problems, ensuring the safeguarding of valuable assets, personnel, and resources in remote areas.

We caught up with Dan Sola, founder and CEO of Archangel Imaging, to hear how his company is supporting people who are most exposed to danger and those who work in the most challenging or extreme conditions, such as security, defense, law enforcement, first response, and non-governmental organizations.

Archangel Imaging integrates technology with purpose
Six years ago, Archangel set out with a clearly defined mission—to unlock the capabilities of existing technologies so that they can be used to solve real-world problems.

“Today’s remote monitoring technologies, although revolutionary, still fall short in mitigating challenges like oil theft, poaching, smuggling, and ensuring safety in extreme and hazardous environments,” said Sola. “Our existing technological solutions are predominantly built as tools, not teammates. You dont task a drone, you task an operator or a team who then has to focus all their attention on using that drone for a period.  Even then, they have to make do with intermittent imagery at a lower quality than could have been available onboard.”

To solve the problem, the company developed a navigation intelligence platform that allows AI copilots to operate autonomously and navigate independently, akin to dependable teammates. The company also built AI algorithms for object detection, tracking, and classification, using the full power of the latest sensor technology.

“We believe that the best way to solve complex problems is to combine the strengths of humans and machines,” said Sola. “This allows humans to focus on the high-level tasks that require creativity and problem-solving, while AI copilots handle the more mundane tasks that require speed and efficiency.”

For example, AI copilots can be used to monitor large areas for potential threats, such as poachers, criminals, or natural disasters; track and identify individuals and provide real-time situational awareness to law enforcement and other first responders; automate tasks in the field and assist with complex operations, such as search and rescue or disaster relief.

Rich opportunities for AI and human partnerships across industries
Archangel’s initial focus is on the security, defense, and law enforcement (SDL) market, but Sola also sees a vast market opportunity for their solution to be used to solve a wide variety of problems across industries.

Luminate has helped the company advance its business and commercialize its AI copilots through its extensive ecosystem of potential partners and investors. Sola hopes to leverage the Luminate network to raise additional capital to continue to scale production and raise awareness.

“Archangel is hard at work building smart machines that collaborate with people to solve global-scale problems in the real world,” said Dr. Sujatha Ramanujan, managing director of Luminate. “We are confident that their innovation with OPI and AI technologies will have a transformative impact across multiple industries.”

For more information, visit https://www.archangel.im. To watch startups in Luminate compete for $2M in follow-on funding, register for the free Luminate Finals event on September 27 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at https://bit.ly/LumFinals2023. For updates on Luminate and all the emerging technologies being developed in Rochester, go to luminate.o