Owl Autonomous Imaging

About Owl Autonomous Imaging

Owl Autonomous Imaging, established in 2018 by co-founders Chuck Gershman and Gene Petilli, is a specialized developer of thermal imaging and ranging solutions aimed at the automotive and industrial mobility sectors. The company is headquartered in Fairport, New York, with additional presence in Silicon Valley.

The founders' backgrounds are deeply rooted in imaging and semiconductor technology. CEO Chuck Gershman brings over 30 years of experience in executive management within the tech and semiconductor industries, having led successful exits with acquisitions by Intel and PMC-Sierra. CTO Gene Petilli has an extensive career in technology, starting as an Analog ASIC Design Engineer at Eastman Kodak in 1985 and later serving as a director at Intrinsix, where he specialized in advanced imaging. The core technology behind Owl AI was initially adapted from a solution developed for the U.S. Air Force to track ballistic missiles, which the founders repurposed for the automotive market.

Owl AI's primary business involves designing, developing, and selling 3D High-Definition Thermal Night Vision sensors and camera solutions to automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and their Tier 1 suppliers. The company operates on a fabless semiconductor business model. Its main offering is the "Thermal Ranging" platform, a monocular 3D thermal camera that provides high-definition thermal video coupled with high-precision ranging. This system is designed to operate effectively day or night and in adverse weather conditions like fog and snow, where traditional visual cameras and even LiDAR can be compromised.

The technology functions by passively detecting radiated heat signatures from objects. It then uses proprietary AI and deep learning algorithms, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to analyze the monochrome thermal images, extract dense 3D range maps, and classify objects. This enables the system to identify pedestrians, animals, cyclists, and other vehicles, calculating their position, direction, and speed to facilitate safer autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle operation. A key differentiator is its ability to generate accurate depth perception and a 3D point cloud from a single 2D thermal camera, a capability the company calls monocular thermal ranging. The system can detect warm objects up to 200 yards away.

The company has secured significant funding, including a $15 million Series A round in January 2022, led by State Farm Ventures, bringing its total raised to over $15.1 million across several rounds. This capital supports the development of cost-effective, high-definition thermal sensors for mass-market automotive adoption. Beyond automotive, Owl AI's technology has applications in industrial, construction, agriculture, defense, and smart infrastructure markets.