Five companies have been chosen to be a part of the South Australia’s first space incubator program called the Venture Catalyst Space, according to an announcement made.
The program is a part of the A$ 4 million Space Innovation Fund of the State Government and will be delivered by the University of South Australia’s Innovation and Collaboration Centre (ICC), together with its global partners, the South Australian Space Industry Centre and the International Space University.
The companies will be working with ICC’s Entrepreneur in Residence and a network of expert advisers over a period of 6 months to test their ideas and develop their businesses.
Ping Services uses a ‘ping monitor’ in order to detect damaged blades on wind turbines using sound waves.
The device relies heavily on satellite communication since wind farms are located in areas with limited mobile phone reception.
Turbine monitoring is currently being performed periodically with the use of photography, by manual inspection or by drone inspection, which is done as infrequently as every 18 months.
ResearchSat is working on medical research in space. Small satellites were developed by the team. These satellites can take microbiological experiment in space in a confined and controlled environment.
This is done in order to monitor the behaviour as well as catalogue any changes so that new pharmaceutical drugs can be developed someday to treat diseases.
The satellites were developed to be feasible, accessible and affordable for all researchers.
A future where drones are flying all around is what Wright Technologies have imagined. They are focused on the significance of a universal standard that will ensure the infallible identification and tamper-proof tracking of drones.
‘Seraph’ is a unique system for drone registration and real-time tracking to improve its safety and security. Moreover, by developing a drone ecosystem, barriers to innovation will be reduced.
Remote locations that are too far from wireless coverage will have a safety system thanks to Safety from Space.
An alternative to ridiculously expensive satellite phones is a supplementary service and support infrastructure, which is proposed by the team.
This will provide specific messaging through a satellite during hazardous situations that could rapidly turn into an emergency.
Tekuma, the only start-up from New South Wales, has developed the next generation of intuitive hand controller hardware or ‘joysticks’.
This hand controller uses patented technology and custom firmware to process the tactile hand movements of the user, allowing them to control an object, such as a drone, with only one hand.
The solution is sturdier and more secure than the current ones in the market. More importantly, it is universal, which allows it to ‘speak’ to all drones or other hand-controlled objects such as remote robots or jet packs.
The 5 successful companies will be receiving a series of capability workshops, one-on-one mentoring, workspace and a stipend of A$ 6,000.
They will also be given the chance to pitch for a fully-funded overseas tour to the United States or Europe so that they can network with relevant space industry primes, investors and fellow start-ups.
Venture Catalyst Space will run over the next four years with the support of the State Government.