FLIGHT INFINITY
Bringing the high-seas to the data age with wind-powered and low-cost drones for high-speed, long-range, all weather ocean monitoring.
What We Do
Present-day ocean monitoring is performed by either very high-cost systems (satellites, large aircrafts, large ships) which are fundamentally too expensive to operate in large numbers or swarms, or by slow and/or short range systems (drones, buoys, autonomous wave/sail boats) that lack the speed needed to tackle the most important problems.
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We have developed a wind-powered, low-cost, swarm-ready drone capable of persistent flight at 30+ kts with a virtually infinite range.
We take inspiration from the albatross, a bird that can travel 1000 km/day by extracting wind energy. With 30x the energy density of solar power, wind propels our drone to longer distances at higher speeds with lower costs.
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We have developed an albatross-inspired, wind-powered drone. The result of years of R&D at MIT, our device is a flying, water-skimming, infinite range airplane.
Team
Gabriel Bousquet
Inventor
Gabriel is completing his PhD in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at MIT. A multifaceted expert in smart flight and biomimetics, wind energy, embedded systems, high performance control, Gabriel has been dedicating his skills and passion for physics-based thinking, rapid design and prototyping, to understanding and showing how wind energy can be utilized to beat the range limitation of oceanic UAVs.
Prior to MIT, Gabriel was at Makani Power, now a part of Google [X]. There, he designed the wing profile of Makani’s airborne wind energy system, a performance-critical element.
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Gabriel holds a Master's degree from Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris, France) in Condensed Matter Physics with a minor in Climate and Oceanographic sciences and and a Master's degree from Université Paris-Diderot in Energy Engineering.
Gabriel's academic awards include the Fulbright Science and Technology fellowship, the Amar G. Bose research grant and the Link Foundation Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation fellowship.
Maha Haji
Designer
Maha holds both a Master's and doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Her work focuses on offshore structures and designing systems for robustness in a harsh environment.
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This strong background in ocean physics and energy, combined with her design and fabrication skills, make her a great complement to the team. As such, she has extensive experience in designing for marine environments, strong skills in rapid design and prototyping, and expertise in cost-analysis of energy technologies.
Aymar Guespereau
Business Development
Aymar is a global business developer, an entrepreneur, and an engineer. He brings his business and engineering experience, professional network from the corporate, university, and the startup words, his flying passion as a private pilote, and a former windsurfer from the West Indies where he spent 16 years.
Aymar worked at MIT where he led technology-based R&D business opportunities by bridging the gap between academia and industry. He managed the Center for Terrestrial Sensing, a special interest group between the MIT Media Lab and a major national oil company. Prior to MIT, Aymar worked for almost 15 years oversea (four continents and 13 countries) for the civil engineering and the energy industries.
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Aymar graduated from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Paris, France) and MIT Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, USA).
News
2013-2017
Flight Infinity is a spinoff coming out from five years of research in the field of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at MIT.
2013
This grant funds big, bold, and innovative research visions. Its is awarded by a panel of diverse stakeholders from academia and the industry, both within and outside of MIT.
2015
The Link Ocean Engineering Instrumentation Fellowship, is awarded by a panel of ocean engineering experts with strong expertise in the field, its challenges and opportunities.
Spring 2017
Awarded for "Outstanding Ingenuity and Creative Judgment" in areas that utilize mechanical engineering knowledge or practice.
Summer 2017
MIT Sandbox provides seed funding for student-initiated entrepreneurship ideas, mentoring from within MIT and from a broad network of committed partners, and tailored educational experiences.
Summer 2017
The Engine offers comprehensive support for entrepreneurs committed to societal impact through scientific and technological breakthroughs. Flight Infinity is incubating at The Engine during the summer (in collaboration with MIT Sandbox).
Hello Tomorrow Global Summit Startup Competition - October 2017
Hello Tomorrow is a global non-profit on a mission to accelerate the transfer of breakthrough technologies into real world solutions by highlighting, empowering and connecting the most promising deep-tech entrepreneurs across the globe with the right enablers.
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Flight Infinity has been selected as one the top 500 deep-tech startups worldwide.
2017 MIT Startup Workshop - Robotics, Drones and Sensor Tech
What are the killers app for robotics, drones and sensors? Which industries are ripe for transformation, for disruption? How will robots and humans work together to create the most value? What role will AI play in creating autonomous robots? What about government regulation of drones and robotics? What are the unexplored areas/territories when it comes to robotics, drones and sensors? Where might we have the biggest positive impact for the world?