Sydney’s CIA-backed Visionary Machines exits stealth mode as quest for revenue begins
After 5 years of R&D, highly touted computer vision startup Visionary Machines is no longer flying under the radar, and is firmly focused on commercialising its technology this year.
How do you make an autonomous vehicle aware of its surroundings? That question has bedevilled everyone from the US government to the world’s richest man. Visionary Machines, a Sydney-based startup backed by the venture capital arm of the CIA, thinks it has the answer.
The fundamental tradeoff autonomous vehicle makers have to make is between cameras or sensors. Cameras help the vehicle see like humans do, and are superior as long as lighting is good. Light or sound sensors – lidar or radio – aren’t as comprehensive, but work well in all weather conditions.
Visionary Machines says companies will no longer have to compromise, as its Vanguard “spatial vision” gear corrects the deficiencies typical of camera-based vision systems. It combines optical and thermal cameras that catch each other’s blindspots with a patented software that reliably weaves that information together.
That represents a significant evolution for the technology, which is what attracted an early investment from IQT, the Sydney bureau of the CIA’s venture capital firm. After years of development, Visionary Machines is now moving to commercialise its wares. Last month it appointed former Collins Aerospace managing director Sonny Foster as CEO in pursuit of that goal.
