Introduction

For the past eight months, our team has been working on something new — a departure from our usual IoT and enterprise software projects, but very much aligned with our core expertise in edge computing, real-time systems, and hardware-software integration.

Today, we're excited to publicly introduce GPO Edge Autonomy: an AI-powered autohoming module for FPV drones.

The Problem We Set Out to Solve

FPV (first-person view) drones have proven their effectiveness in defense, search and rescue, security, and industrial inspection. They're fast, affordable, and capable. But there's a critical weakness that limits their reliability: signal dependency.

When an FPV drone operates in contested environments — where electronic warfare (EW) jamming, interference, or simple signal degradation occurs — the pilot's control can be compromised at the worst possible moment. The final seconds of a mission, when precision matters most, are exactly when weak RF links cause failures.

Existing autonomy solutions on the market come with significant trade-offs:

- Cloud-dependent AI that fails when the connection fails
- Heavy, expensive modules (often €1,000–10,000+) that don't scale for mass deployment
- Complex integration requiring custom platforms instead of standard FPV hardware

Our Approach: Offline Edge AI

We asked a simple question: What if autonomy didn't depend on signal — and didn't cost more than the drone itself?

The result is a compact module built on:

- Raspberry Pi 5 for processing power
- Hailo AI accelerator for real-time neural network inference
- Custom Betaflight integration for seamless flight controller communication
- HC4051N data stream switcher for smooth transitions between manual and autonomous modes

The module weighs approximately 100 grams and costs under €200 in hardware — making it practical for real-world deployment at scale.

Key Capabilities

- Target detection and tracking using onboard AI models
- Predictive tracking that maintains lock even when the target is briefly occluded
- Homing assistance that reduces pilot workload in the critical final moments
- Fully offline operation — no cloud, no external data link required
- Plug-and-play integration with Betaflight-compatible flight controllers

What's Next

We've completed extensive field testing and have working devices deployed with our initial customer — an FPV drone manufacturer in Ukraine. Now we're expanding: seeking partnerships with drone manufacturers, system integrators, and defense contractors who need reliable autonomy solutions.

We're also proud to announce that GPO has been selected for the **IAS Business Academy** — a one-year Nordic-Baltic growth programme for innovative aerial services companies. This will help us expand across Estonia, Finland, and Sweden.

Interested in learning more?

Visit drones.gpo-tech.com or contact us at gpowork@gpo-tech.com.