Sapient Perception develops camera technology that enables drones to find and identify small objects across large areas – in real time. The company has now received support from the APUS programme to strengthen its team and bring the technology into use more quickly.
From search and rescue operations at sea to landmine detection in war zones. The challenge is often the same: finding small, crucial details across large areas – and doing so before it is too late. That is exactly what Sapient Perception is working to solve. The company has now received support from the APUS programme to accelerate development and bring the technology closer to market.
Sapient Perception is based in Valby and develops camera-based sensor systems for drones that can be used within, among other areas, defence, security and emergency response, where the need for rapid situational awareness and precise decision-making is crucial.
The company has received support through the APUS programme, which is run by Odense Robotics and CenSec and aims to help Danish drone and robotics companies move more quickly from development to practical application.
From landmines to ships
Today, drone camera systems are designed according to a simple premise: you can either see a lot – or see details. “Most cameras are essentially built like video cameras. You can zoom out and look at a large area, or you can zoom in and see details – but you can’t do both at the same time,” says Lau Nørgaard, CTO at Sapient Perception.
This creates challenges in situations where it is crucial to gain a complete overview – for example in search operations, surveillance or military operations. Sapient Perception’s technology makes it possible to both cover large areas and maintain a high level of detail – with sensors capable of covering areas up to 100 times larger at the same resolution as traditional systems.
“For a long time, we received positive feedback on the images themselves, but when customers heard that they could only view the images once the drone had returned, they lost interest, because these are often critical missions. That is what we have been working to solve,” says Lau Nørgaard.
The technology has already attracted attention. At the beginning of April, Sapient Perception announced a collaboration with the Ukrainian company Dropla Tech, where the technology is being integrated into its Blue Eyes system, where it will, among other things, be used to identify landmines and drones along routes ahead of military units.
Only what matters is sent on
At the core of the solution is that data is processed directly on the drone. Instead of sending the entire image stream back, the analysis is carried out close to the camera, and only the relevant findings are sent on.
“We don’t send all the images. The only thing that comes down is what you are looking for – coordinates, what has been found and small image snippets. That means users are not overwhelmed by data,” says CBO Michael Messerschmidt.
The result is that operators do not simply receive images, but an overview of where there is something to respond to. It is the customer’s own AI models that identify what is relevant for the specific mission, while Sapient Perception provides the infrastructure to process and structure the data.
The system has also been developed with a strong focus on security.
“If the drone crashes and ends up in the wrong hands, they cannot gain access to either the data or the AI model. Only the end user has the key,” explains Michael Messerschmidt.
APUS support makes a difference here and now
For Sapient Perception, the APUS support has had a direct impact on what they are able to move forward with – and how quickly.
“We have raised venture capital to build our core product, but this enables us to begin working on some of the things that would otherwise have had to wait. These are not just nice-to-have features – they are very concrete functionalities that make a real difference for our customers, and which we can now put in place earlier,” says Michael Messerschmidt.
According to the company, this is crucial at an early stage, where time is a critical factor.
“It is the difference between months and years. When you are a startup, being able to move something forward by three months means a great deal – it represents a significant part of our lifetime. It also means that we can take somewhat bigger steps and, among other things, hire a person earlier than we otherwise would have.
At the same time, they point out that the value of APUS does not lie solely in the funding itself.
“It is not the money itself that is the most important thing. It is the signalling value of having someone in the ecosystem assess that this is relevant. That validation means something – both to our investors, but also when it comes to attracting new customers, partners and employees,” adds Lau Nørgaard.
In addition, the company highlights access to networks as a crucial part of the programme.
“Being connected with the right people and having doors opened – that is a completely different category of value. It is at least as important as the funding.”