Nearthlab’s Station for Drone First Responder (DFR) has been awarded the CES Innovation Awards® 2025 Best of Innovation, recognizing its contribution to autonomous drone operations.
Designed for fully independent missions, the station enables seamless takeoff, flight, and landing without human intervention.
Unlike conventional add-ons, the Station for DFR represents a transformative step toward full drone autonomy. It integrates effortlessly with police operation systems, ensuring real-time responsiveness to critical incidents. A key feature is its built-in flight authorization capability, which streamlines rapid deployment, allowing drones to be dispatched swiftly and efficiently in emergency situations.
One of the station’s most advancements is its battery-swapping system, which eliminates the typical 30-minute flight constraint caused by traditional charging methods. By facilitating continuous operations, this technology ensures that drones remain on standby, ready for immediate deployment. The station’s ability to perform rapid battery replacements significantly reduces preparation time, maximizing operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Engineered for reliability in demanding environments, the Station for DFR incorporates a specialized cooling system to prevent overheating and is designed to withstand strong vibrations and extreme weather conditions. This robust construction guarantees consistent performance, even in the harshest operational scenarios.
The CES Best of Innovation award, presented by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, celebrates outstanding achievements in design and technological advancement. Nearthlab’s recognition highlights its commitment to revolutionizing autonomous drone technology. This latest accolade follows the company’s previous success in the 2022 CES Innovation Awards® for its NearthWIND Mobile, a plug-and-play solution that converts commercial devices into fully autonomous inspection drones.
Jay Choi, Co-Founder and CEO of Nearthlab, said, “The Station for DFR represents a transformative leap in making drones a dependable solution for urgent, high-demand situations. We’re excited to see our work gain recognition on such a global stage.”
In addition to its technological milestones, Nearthlab has been selected for the 2024 K-Startup Center (KSC) Program, an initiative hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups of Korea and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED). The program, operated by the Seoul Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (SCCEI), further reinforces Nearthlab’s role as a leader in the rapidly evolving field of autonomous drone solutions.
