Galway Bay fm newsroom - A Connemara firm collaborating with researchers from NUI Galway and a Dublin company have received €2.5 million funding for a drone technology project.
The collaboration between Inverin based ÉireComposites, NUIG and Dublin firm Manna has secured the significant investment for its MI-DRONE project through the Department of Enterprise's Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund.
MI-DRONE aims to address consumer demand for fast, reliable, last-mile delivery using a drone with delivery times being reduced to three minutes.
As part of the project NUIG and ÉireComposites will develop additive manufacturing and automation technologies for high-volume manufacturing of drones, and for structural testing of the products.
The group says it's envisioned that this process of manufacturing will lead to a reduction of the cost per drone by 36% between 2024 and 2026 and ultimately could serve one billion people with last mile delivery and displace 560,000 cars and vans with drones worldwide.
Éirecomposites Chief Commercial Officer Mark McKeigue says the collaboration will allow the drone sector to grow effectively with state of the art technology.
