Meet Merlin Labs, a company that’s remained in the shadows until now. On Wednesday, the company emerged from “stealth mode” to introduce itself, thanks to a successful funding round for its autonomous plane technology. Merlin Labs isn’t actually building a physical plane, flying car or eVTOL — but instead is eyeing totally autonomous technology for aircraft to fly itself. You have to click the video above, because it’s spooky to see the flight gear move of its own accord.
The company named its initial investors, which includes Google Ventures among many: We don’t have specific dollar amounts, but we do know this initial round of investments secured $25 million. With this funding, Merlin Labs plans to implement its autonomous technology into a fleet of King Air planes to prove its worth.
So far, the startup said it executed numerous “autonomous missions on multiple aircraft types,” including twin turboprop aircraft like King Air planes. The technology onboard focuses on total onboard autonomy rather than remote piloting, which helps Merlin Labs stand out.
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