Sensing technology is facilitating the transition of drone delivery services from trial phases to regular daily operations.
Updated
January 23, 2026 10:41 AM
A quadcopter drone with package attached. PHOTO: FREEPIK
A new partnership between Hesai Technology, a LiDAR solutions company and Keeta Drone, an urban delivery platform under Meituan, offers a glimpse into how drone delivery is moving from experimentation to real-world scale.
Under the collaboration, Hesai will supply solid-state LiDAR sensors for Keeta’s next-generation delivery drones. The goal is to make everyday drone deliveries more reliable as they move from trials to routine operations. Keeta Drone operates in a challenging space—low-altitude urban airspace. Its drones deliver food, medicine and emergency supplies across cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Dubai. With more than 740,000 deliveries completed across 65 routes, the company has discontinued testing the concept. It is scaling it. For that scale to work, drones must be able to navigate crowded environments filled with buildings, trees, power lines and unpredictable conditions. This is where Hesai’s technology comes in.
Hesai’s solid-state LiDAR is integrated into Keeta's latest long-range delivery drones. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. In simple terms, it is a sensing technology that helps machines understand their surroundings by sending out laser pulses and measuring how they bounce back. Unlike GPS, LiDAR does not rely solely on satellites to determine position. Instead, it gives drones a direct sense of their surroundings, helping them spot small but critical obstacles like wires or tree branches.
In a recent demonstration, Keeta Drone completed a nighttime flight using LiDAR-based navigation alone without relying on cameras or satellite positioning. This shows how the technology can support stable operations even when visibility is poor or GPS signals are limited.
The LiDAR system used in these drones is Hesai’s second-generation solid-state model known as FTX. Compared with earlier versions, the sensor offers higher resolution while being smaller and lighter—important considerations for airborne systems where weight and space are limited. The updated design also reduces integration complexity, making it easier to incorporate into commercial drone platforms. Large-scale production of the sensor is expected to begin in 2026.
From Hesai’s perspective, delivery drones are one of several forms robots are expected to take in the coming decades. Industry forecasts suggest robots will increasingly appear in many roles from industrial systems to service applications, with drones becoming a familiar part of urban infrastructure rather than a novelty.
For Keeta Drone, this improves safety and reliability. And for the broader industry, it signals that drone logistics is entering a more mature phase—one defined less by experimentation and more by dependable execution. Taken together, the partnership highlights a practical evolution in drone delivery.
As cities grow more complex, the question is no longer whether drones can fly but whether they can do so reliably, safely and at scale. At its core, this partnership is not about drones or sensors as products. It is about what it takes to make a complex system work quietly in real cities. As drone delivery moves out of pilot zones and into everyday use, reliability matters more than novelty.
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A Massachusetts startup advances scalable light-control tech for AR, AI and imaging markets
Updated
February 27, 2026 3:59 PM
Myrias Optics' Nanoimprinted All-inorganic Metaoptic. PHOTO: MYRIAS OPTICS
Myrias Optics, a Massachusetts-based optical technology startup, has raised US$2.1 million in a Seed 1 financing round to accelerate the commercialization of its advanced light-control technology. The round was led by MassVentures, with participation from existing investors Hoss Investment Inc., Maroon Venture Partners and Tenon Venture Partners, as well as new investors Mill Town Capital, TiE Boston Angels and Doug Crane. This new round follows a US$3.3 million seed financing completed in December 2023, led by Asia Optical, and a US$1.5 million Direct-to-Phase II award from the National Science Foundation. In total, Myrias has secured US$6.9 million to date, positioning it to move from development to scaled production.
The company builds ultra-thin, nano-patterned surfaces that precisely control how light moves through a device. These structures replace or enhance traditional lenses and optical parts inside products such as augmented reality headsets, AI data center hardware, consumer electronics, industrial systems and medical imaging devices. The goal is straightforward: to deliver high optical performance while making the parts easier and more cost-effective to manufacture in large quantities.
Across industries such as augmented reality and AI infrastructure, manufacturers face a common challenge. They need highly precise light-guiding components that can withstand heat and long-term use. At the same time, those components must be produced consistently and at scale. Traditional semiconductor-style fabrication can be costly, while polymer-based optical manufacturing can face limits in durability and thermal stability.
Myrias addresses this gap by using inorganic materials and a nanoimprint manufacturing process to create stable, repeatable optical layers on wafers. This approach is designed to combine performance with manufacturability. In augmented reality systems, for example, the company’s technology enables higher viewing angles while remaining suitable for volume production. In AI data centers, the same material and process advantages support improved light transfer and stronger performance under demanding thermal conditions. These benefits also extend to advanced imaging systems in consumer, industrial and medical markets.
The new Seed 1 funding is intended to expand manufacturing capacity and scale pilot production lines. The company will also continue executing active customer programs. Myrias is already working with strategic partners and Tier 1 supply chain participants to integrate its waveguide and light-shaping solutions into commercial AR platforms, AI photonics systems and advanced imaging products. The capital, therefore, supports a clear next step: moving from validated prototypes to a steady commercial supply.