XTEND, an Israeli company that develops the AI-driven XOS operating system, has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Chartered Group, with contributions from both existing and new investors such as Clal-Tech. The funding will enhance the development of XTEND’s XOS system and expand the global sales of its drones and robotics products.

Founded by Aviv Shapira, Rubi Liani, Matteo Shapira, and Adir Tubi, XTEND’s XOS platform allows operators to control drones and robots with minimal training, combining human intelligence with machine autonomy for safer and more effective operation from a distance. This technology is aimed at improving efficiency in logistics, public safety, inspection, defense, and security sectors.

Currently, hundreds of XTEND’s systems are operational globally, and the open architecture of XOS supports third-party applications and devices. The technology, which is also being evaluated by the US Department of Defense and Israel’s Ministry of Defense, facilitates precise, intuitive, and immersive remote operation of drones by military units across various scenarios.

Words from those involved in the funding round: 

“Robots and drones promise to transform everything from factories to our homes. However, a significant hurdle remains — equipping them with the common-sense abilities to deal with the unpredictable nature of real-world situations, understand their surroundings, and make decisions based on that information. XOS uses AI to enable robots to learn from data and experience. Training them to identify objects, navigate complex environments, and interact with humans safely. We are unlocking the true potential of robotics in complex scenarios, including first response, search and rescue, logistics, critical infrastructure inspection, defense, and security.”

— Aviv Shapira, co-founder, and CEO, XTEND

“Unlike self-driving cars, which operate in a world with mostly known rules and scenarios, XTEND specialises in enabling operations in “hypervariable” environments. Take a last-mile delivery robot. It can navigate autonomously indoors and outdoors but might need human help finding an office building entrance or understanding floor layouts to reach the elevator or stairway. These environments present limitless situations with the potential for the unexpected, requiring human-level decision-making skills specific to each profession. XTEND’s core technology, XOS, is built around this human-machine partnership. We are continually adding new “AI SKILLS” to our system, and those skills will allow robots to handle a growing portion of missions and tasks, freeing up human supervisors to manage more missions simultaneously, at scale.”

— Matteo Shapira, co-founder, and CXO, XTEND

“We believe that the companies bringing the value of AI to massive and complex industries, such as robotics and drone operations, will be the tech giants of the 21st century. Having observed XTEND’s remarkable achievements thus far, we truly believe in the company’s potential to become the world leader in robotics and drone operations, and AI.”

— Eyal Agmoni, Founder and Chairman of Chartered Group

Featured image: Credit: XTEND