Boeing’s HorizonX Makes New Investment in Augmented and Virtual Reality
AREA member Boeing has announced that its venture capital arm, HorizonX, will be investing in C360 Technologies, a startup that focuses on Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and 360-Degree videos.
Boeing Vice President for Horizon, Steve Nordlund, said the investment is a ‘win-win’ due to C360s video capabilities it will bring to a new market while providing an outlet for Boeing to further some of its own technological initiatives. “Our C360 investment is a powerful example of how HorizonX can access rapid advances in innovation outside aerospace and bring them to our Boeing customers.” Says Nordlund.
Mike Sinnett, Vice President of Product Development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said current trends in the aviation industry could push Boeing to look into autonomous options, provided that they are equally as reliable as human pilots. “There’s going to be a transition away from the requirement to have a skilled aviator operating the airplane tactically, to having a system that operates the vehicle autonomously.” States Sinnett
According to the article on Geek Wire, C360 joins three other companies in HorizonX’s investment portfolio: Virginia-based Upskill, another AREA member, (provider of Augmented-Reality solutions for industrial settings); Kirkland, Wash.,-based Zunum Aero, which is working on a new class of hybrid electric airplanes; and Texas-based SparkCognition, which focuses on artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.