Farsight Vision and Estonian CrystalSpace secure $1.5M grant for autonomous navigation systems

Ukrainian-Estonian defence tech startup Farsight Vision and Estonian company CrystalSpace have received a $1.5 million grant from the Applied Research Programme (RUP) to jointly develop GPS-free navigation solutions. Farsight Vision co-founder and CEO Viktoriia Yaremchuk shared the details with Defender Media.

The partnership centres on creating a joint solution that combines CrystalSpace’s GlanceCore hardware module with built-in edge processing and Farsight Vision’s AI-driven computer vision and spatial navigation algorithms. The combined hardware-software system will enable drones to operate autonomously in GPS-denied environments and in terrain that complicates the use of alternative navigation methods.

The grant recipients explain that the system effectively creates autonomous “brains” for drones: it enables the collection, analysis and interpretation of sensor data directly onboard, turning video feeds and telemetry into navigation cues, pilot recommendations, or signals for fully autonomous flight.

The companies believe this approach addresses one of the biggest challenges facing modern autonomous systems. Manual processing of drone-collected data can take days, which is far too slow for today’s operational environment. The joint solution moves data processing from the cloud directly onto the drone’s camera, reducing decision-making time to milliseconds.

Particular attention in the project is paid to operation in GNSS-denied environments — areas affected by GPS jamming, complex terrain, dense urban development or forested landscapes. The system is designed to maintain navigation and stable operation even in the absence of satellite signals or other traditional navigation sources.

CrystalSpace is an Estonian company that has been operating in the space tech and defence tech sectors since 2013. It designs and manufactures high-precision cameras and vision systems for use in space missions and autonomous platforms. Its compact vision systems with onboard data processing are used, among other applications, in UAVs and unmanned ground systems.

Farsight Vision is a Ukrainian–Estonian startup developing software and hardware solutions for intelligence and autonomous systems. The company’s products enable real-time conversion of drone imagery and video into detailed 3D models and orthomosaics, with integrated object detection and anomaly tracking in GNSS-denied environments. Farsight Vision’s solutions are integrated with battle management systems, mobile applications, simulators, and VR tools.