Cape is a California-based company that has developed a cloud-based software for Aerial Telepresence of drones.[1] It is the first platform for full commercial drone telepresence and the first company in the U.S. to be awarded Section 333 and Part 107 waivers by the FAA.[2] The company was founded in 2014 and operates in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Middle East, Mexico, and Australia.[3][4] By May 2018, it had performed more than 100,000 successful drone flights.[5] Chris Rittler serves as a CEO of the company and Kabe Termes is the director of operations.[6][7][5]
Cape is a software that works on a cloud-based system and allows the complete control of connectivity and management of commercial drones offsite over the web.[1][8] The platform allows the users to fly and control the drones safely with ultra-low latency and high-resolution video.[citation needed] It automates the process for users and can be accessed from mobile devices such as laptops and smartphone applications.[9][10]
The application of the software extends to users from the government, military and enterprise sectors.[11] They have also received investment from Telstra Ventures, Google's Gradient Ventures, Mitsui & Co. and NEA.[12]
In 2017, Cape started working with the Chula Vista Police Department to test the application of their software for the Drone program.[13][14] In August 2018, after the success of tests, Chula Vista Police Department started officially implementing the software.[6]
In October 2017, the Ensenada Police Department in Mexico implemented the software to their drone program to help minimize crime rates.[15][16][17] Crime rates were reduced by more than 10 percent after drones equipped with the Cape Aerial Telepresence platform.[11][18]
In August 2018, the San Diego Fire Department's first UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) demonstration took place after completing a public UAS deployment with Cape drones.[19][20][21][22]