Remote presence
Drone, onboard unit, SIM cards, platform and cockpit in one system. The remote operator sees the image and knows its age. If the system cannot guarantee this, it does not pretend the image is live.
Solution
Every link in AKIZU is designed to avoid losing time or concealing faults. Video travels from the drone via the onboard unit and mobile networks to the platform and cockpit. Information about its age travels with it.
The entire chain is governed by the VERA protocol: each frame carries its exposure time and validity deadline.
Products
01 / Drone
A drone designed for beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights over mobile networks. The camera, onboard unit and antennas are designed as one integrated system from the outset, rather than as an add-on fitted to a third-party aircraft.
02 / Brain
An onboard unit that turns images into evidence. It encodes video, attaches the exposure time to each frame, sends it over the mobile network and discards anything that arrives too late. It also records the flight black box.
03 / SIM
Data SIM cards for drones. With the Brain Duo concept, they will connect through two operators simultaneously, so an outage on one cell will not mean losing the video feed. Manage cards, data and connection status in the platform.
Hardware design
Drone and Brain in two colourways. Milled aluminium, matte composite, visible screws and seals. Choose a colour to view both products.
Pre-production visualisations. VOXL 2, modem and Starling 2 Max specifications are stated by manufacturer ModalAI; AKIZU fuselage dimensions, weight and ingress protection are design targets, not yet verified.
04 / Platform
An overview of the fleet, SIM cards and flights in one place. For every flight, the platform stores an evidence pack: what the operator saw, how old it was and what commands they issued.
Demo workspace / Overview
Simulated data
| Drone | Mission | Networks | Frame age | Status |
|---|
Pilot partners sign in to AKIZU Platform. A demo with simulated data is available without an account.
Interface preview with simulated data. This is not a record of actual operations.
05 / Direct
An operator cockpit where time is visible. The panel shows only imagery with a known age. Each command carries the frame number the operator was viewing, and the drone will not execute a late command.
Technology
VERA is our own protocol. Its name comes from the Latin verus, meaning true. When a connection drops, today’s systems leave the last frame on screen, where it still looks live. VERA either proves each frame or rejects it.
The video is a visualisation from the Direct cockpit. Network state, frame age and data rate are simulated, not measured.
Frame age is below the deadline. The operator sees the present.
The image is still verified, but its age is increasing. The cockpit shows this and recommends a more cautious flight.
Frame age cannot be guaranteed. A neutral screen with an explanation replaces the frozen frame.
We show the actual status. Each figure is labelled as measured, target or design.
The numbers
Frame age is the sum of the steps from light on the sensor to light on the display. Choose a profile, network and display. The chart shows where time is spent and whether the system meets the deadline.
Calculation based on the VERA v1.1 protocol plan. All values are estimates (E); network latency is a working figure for one-way latency. Actual values will be determined by measurement.
Frame age in metres
The operator does not see where the drone is, but where it was. Adjust the speed and frame age.
Comparison
Solutions over mobile networks state 80 to 350 ms. The 3GPP standard allows 140 ms for video beyond line of sight; the VERA target is 50 ms. None of these solutions proves the age of each frame.
Sources: DJI, Skydio, CubePilot, Sky Drone, DriveU. The dashed row is the 3GPP TS 22.125 requirement for video aiding control beyond visual line of sight, not a product. Manufacturer methodologies vary. DJI O4 uses direct radio, not a mobile network.
Schematics
Three mechanisms that turn ordinary video into evidence: two networks at once, a deadline for commands, and a header that carries the time.
01 / Two networks
Concept simulation of Brain Duo. Each frame travels via two operators, for example O2 and Telekom. The station displays the first valid copy and discards the second.
02 / Command loop
The drone knows the exposure time of the frame it generated. It therefore calculates the age of the entire loop using its own clock, without synchronisation. It will not execute an expired command and will continue to hold position.
03 / 20 B header
Every video packet begins with a VERA header. Select a field to see what it does.
Who it is for
01Public safetyTwo networks at once · Evidence after the flight · Control from a centre
02Infrastructure inspectionTwo networks at once · Evidence after the flight · Control from a centre
03Drone manufacturersIntegration into your own drone · Evidence after the flight
04Defence and resilienceTwo networks at once · Resilience in outages · Integration into your own drone
05Logistics and medical transportFleet from one centre · Control from a centre · Two networks at once
06Industrial sites and portsFleet from one centre · Control from a centre · Evidence after the flight
07Crisis management and civil protectionFleet from one centre · Two networks at once · Resilience in outages
08Mobile operatorsTwo networks at once · Evidence after the flight · Integration into your own drone
09Corridors and convoysFleet from one centre · Two networks at once · Control from a centre
10Search and rescueFleet from one centre · Resilience in outages · Control from a centre
11Public eventsFleet from one centre · Two networks at once · Evidence after the flight
12Perimeters and airportsFleet from one centre · Control from a centre · Evidence after the flightAll solutions and the needs filter →
Why now
Standard
The 3GPP standard allows 140 ms for video aiding control beyond line of sight. The AKIZU LET-1 target is 50 ms.
Source: 3GPP TS 22.125
Regulation
EASA introduced SORA 2.5 in September 2025, and several states no longer accept the older version. Operators need evidence.
Networks
Deutsche Telekom and Nokia demonstrated a drone that received temporary network priority at flight altitude.
Source: Nokia
Security
The 3GPP standard requires detecting an airborne drone without an aerial subscription. In February 2026 the EU published an action plan on drone security.
Source: 3GPP, European Commission
Market
USD bn. Sources: Mordor Intelligence (software 2026→2031), MarketsandMarkets via GlobeNewswire (BVLOS 2025→2030), UAS Vision (DFR 2026→2033), MarketsandMarkets (drone communications →2030).
Development status
Questions
Short answers. We keep measurements, targets and plans apart.
No. AKIZU is in development. Today we have an internal frame-age measurement: median 64.6 ms and p99 87.4 ms over WiFi, with a phone as the transmitter. The hardware shown is a pre-production visualisation.
Network latency is only part of the path. Frame age is the time from the moment a frame is exposed on the drone to the moment the operator sees it. VERA attaches the exposure time to every frame and the station verifies it before display.
The station never shows an old frame as current. When the age exceeds the limit, it switches to a neutral screen and shows the state clearly. We measured the switch internally at up to 2.72 ms.
The reference configuration is the ModalAI Starling 2 Max with the VOXL 2 computer. AKIZU Brain is designed as a standalone unit that can also be fitted to other drones.
LTE and 5G. The Brain Duo concept sends every frame over two operators at once. The 3GPP standard expects the network to detect an airborne drone without an aerial subscription, so we plan AKIZU SIMs with an aerial profile from the operator.
No. Flights beyond visual line of sight need an authorisation in the Specific category based on a SORA 2.5 risk assessment. AKIZU Platform is meant to give the operator a frame-age record as evidence for that assessment.
We are looking for pilot partners in public safety, inspection and industry, and for measurement partners. Write to info@akizu.com.
Downloads
Each figure is labelled: measured internally, stated by the manufacturer, design, target or plan. Images are pre-production visualisations.
01DroneProduct sheet · PDF
02BrainProduct sheet · PDF
03SIMProduct sheet · PDF
04PlatformProduct sheet · PDF
05DirectProduct sheet · PDF
1 pageAKIZU at a glancePartner overview · PDF
12 pagesHardware catalogueDrone, Brain and SIM in visualisations, labels and colour lines · PDF
Slovak: AKIZU v skratke · PDF · Slovenská verzia webu
Contact
We can demonstrate the system live or measure the frame age on your drone. Get in touch.
Or write about a specific topic: Pilot project · Frame-age measurement · Investors
Explore
Twelve solution areas and the sections that belong with them. The case studies are illustrations, not completed deployments.