Patented machine vision brings automatic target recognition to drones without GPS Flight-tested at speeds up to 20 m/s, Sodyo’s RangeMark targets defense and commercial drone markets. Read Next: New PLA footage shows H-6N bomber with suspected air-launched ballistic missile Autonomous drones can recognize objects with increasing accuracy, but confirming exactly what they are looking at remains difficult. Sodyo Ltd. says its new RangeMark technology aims to solve that problem. The Tel Aviv-based company says the system identifies passive visual markers from as far as 0.6 miles (one kilometer) away using only a standard camera, eliminating the need for GPS, radio frequency links, cellular connectivity, or external networks. Unlike conventional AI vision systems that classify objects based on probability, RangeMark verifies the identity of a marked object through a machine-readable visual code. Sodyo says the approach gives drones deterministic confirmation instead of relying on image recognition alone, a capability that could support defense, infrastructure inspection, emergency response, and industrial automation. Moving beyond AI vision Modern computer vision allows drones to recognize vehicles, buildings, and people with impressive accuracy. Even so, those systems still infer identity from visual characteristics, leaving room for uncertainty in complex environments. RangeMark approaches the problem differently. Operators place a printed, battery-free marker on an object or location. When that marker enters the camera’s field of view, the software detects and decodes it into a unique identity, even at extended distances. More from Military See All According to Sodyo, the system works without emitting signals or requiring onboard communications equipment. That makes it suitable for environments where GPS signals are unavailable, or radio transmissions are restricted. Alon Raz, CEO of Sodyo, said the challenge has never been teaching autonomous systems to see. “Knowing is,” he said. Raz added that RangeMark transforms a printed marker into “a point of