VERSES enables autonomous drone crowd safety monitoring missions in Zaragoza, Spain as part of the FF2020 project

VERSES

20 October 2022

PRESS RELEASE
COSM artificial intelligence operating system, geospatial digital infrastructure and drone mobility portal deployed during the 2022 Pilar Festivities.

Vancouver, BC - October 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - VERSES Technologies Inc. (NEO:VERS) (OTCQX:VRSSF) ("VERSES'' or the "Company”), a contextual computing platform provider specializing in the next generation of artificial intelligence solutions, today announced the successful completion of its first-of-a-kind Autonomous Drone or Urban Air Mobility (UAM) test in Zaragoza, Spain.

As part of Flying Forward 2020, a European Commission-funded special research and innovation project developing Urban Air Mobility infrastructure, and in collaboration with the Zaragoza City Council and first responder teams, VERSES successfully deployed multiple autonomous drones to provide real-time aerial views in order to monitor the safety of hundreds of thousands of visitors participating in the cultural procession that runs through the streets of Zaragoza during the festival of La Virgen del Pilar. Utilizing VERSES’ real-time mobility portal, powered by the company’s AI operating system, COSM, local authorities were able to remotely monitor the entire celebration at the Plaza del Pilar Square and surrounding neighbourhoods.  

Working with the Zaragoza City Council and its own legal advisors, VERSES’ COSM operating system employs artificial intelligence and digital twins to govern the behaviour of autonomous drones to ensure strict compliance with air traffic regulations and data privacy laws. The COSM-enabled autonomous drones used in this UAM mission provided continuous, real-time monitoring of the flow of traffic, safety and security assessments and the ability to proactively identify unusual or atypical occurrences, reducing the need for extra monitoring teams on the ground and air. In addition, the COSM AI platform ensured the governance of the autonomous drone flights was in compliance with all local laws, data management policies and security regulations, a first-of-its-kind real-world demonstration of the goals set out by the European Commission to enable automated compliance of AI-powered drones within the European Union. 

“This was an exciting project for VERSES, and we appreciate the collaboration from the city of Zaragoza as we developed and delivered an urban air mobility plan for the Pilar Festival,” said Gabriel René, Founder and CEO of VERSES. “This autonomous drone work is another example of our COSM operating system in action. From the spatial mapping of an entire city to the creation of flight plans and the governance of drones via geospatial contracts in real-time– this is all possible because of the adaptive intelligence capabilities that are unique to our COSM platform.”

VERSES expects to continue to work with autonomous drone flights operating Beyond the Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) through Flying Forward 2020, a collaborative research project comprised of 12 global multidisciplinary partners focused on developing a new Urban Air Mobility ecosystem within the geospatial data infrastructure of cities throughout the European Union. 

“The collaboration with VERSES and Flying Forward 2020 made it possible for autonomous drones to operate safely over the crowds, collect images of key areas of the festival and provide essential data to our first responder teams on the ground,” said Miguel Ángel Ania, Head of Innovation for the city of Zaragoza. “This information not only provided a real-time view of the city but will help with future event planning– from the creation of evacuation routes for emergencies to the prevention of crowd surges in public spaces.” 

About VERSES

VERSES is a next-generation AI company providing foundational technology for the contextual computing era.  Modelled after natural systems and the design principles of the human brain and the human experience, VERSES’ flagship offering, COSM™, is an AI Operating System for enhancing any application with adaptive intelligence.  Built on open standards, COSM transforms disparate data into a universal context that fosters trustworthy collaboration between humans, machines, and AI, across digital and physical domains. Verses currently operates in the mobility and transport sectors as well as in supply chain, manufacturing and smart cities. Imagine a smarter world that elevates human potential through innovations inspired by nature.  Learn more at VERSES, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About Flying Forward 2020

Flying Forward 2020 (FF2020) is a three-year research and innovation project funded by the European Union, under grant agreement number 101006828. The project focuses on creating a state-of-the-art Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem for autonomous drone missions. It includes a governance model and framework, a regulatory framework, a geospatial digital infrastructure, a Digital Toolbox, an Identity of Things (IDoT) scheme, and several interoperability frameworks. The solutions developed during the project will be tested in five living labs across Europe: Eindhoven, Milan, Zaragoza, Tartu and Oulu. For more information, visit www.ff2020.eu

On Behalf of VERSES

Gabriel René
VERSES Technologies Inc.
Co-Founder & CEO
press@verses.io

Media and Investor Relations Inquiries

Leo Karabelas
Focus Communications
President
info@fcir.ca
416-543-3120

© FF2020

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