Nanoveu Acquires Spinoff Robotics to Own Full Drone Stack

• Acquisition adds tethered ALICE and photogrammetry METRON drones
• Completes vertical integration from AI silicon to airframe
• Targets defence ISR, critical infrastructure, tactical and hazardous inspection
• Brings in Dr Chee How Tan and engineering team
• Deal includes shares and performance rights with milestones

Nanoveu Secures In-House Drone Platforms and Expertise

Nanoveu Limited (ASX:NVU) has taken a decisive step to own every layer of drone technology by acquiring Spinoff Robotics, a Singapore-based deep-tech spinout from the Singapore University of Technology and Design. This move brings two proprietary drone platforms; ALICE, a tethered drone designed for persistent surveillance, and METRON, a sub-millimetre precision photogrammetry system; into Nanoveu’s fold alongside the engineering team that developed them.

Unlike many drone companies that retrofit third-party components, Spinoff builds its drones from the ground up, controlling airframe design, aerodynamics, flight control, and sensing integration. This acquisition complements Nanoveu’s existing ultra-low-power EMASS ECS-DoT AI silicon, enabling the chip to be engineered into drones from the outset rather than added as an afterthought. The result is a tightly integrated stack spanning silicon, airframe, sensing, and AI software, creating a structural moat against competitors.

Nanoveu’s Executive Chairman, Dr David Pevcic, emphasised the strategic value: "With proprietary airframes and sensing sitting alongside the Company's silicon, edge-AI IP and autonomy algorithms, Nanoveu is placed to own every layer of the stack required to ship validated reference designs into defence, critical-infrastructure security and industrial inspection." This acquisition follows Nanoveu’s recent unveiling of its EMASS semiconductor strategy and ongoing drone trials, reinforcing its commitment to edge AI innovation EMASS semiconductor strategy.

Targeting Defence and High-Value Commercial Markets

The acquisition positions Nanoveu to address four priority verticals where conventional drone solutions face limitations: defence ISR overwatch, hyperscaler and critical infrastructure surveillance, tactical battlefield operations, and hazardous environment inspection such as nuclear decommissioning.

ALICE’s tethered design offers a persistent, high-payload surveillance platform resilient to GPS spoofing and RF jamming, critical vulnerabilities exposed in recent geopolitical conflicts. Its ground-based power supply offloads weight from the drone, allowing higher-grade sensors and continuous operation without battery swaps. METRON’s sub-millimetre photogrammetry delivers 3D scene mapping and real-time anomaly detection with AI inference running entirely on-device, eliminating bandwidth-heavy video streaming.

These capabilities are particularly relevant for hyperscale data centres, a sector forecast to grow to US$595 billion by 2030, where ALICE and METRON can provide perimeter security and infrastructure monitoring with real-time thermal anomaly detection and structural change identification. Similarly, airport perimeter and runway foreign-object-debris detection markets stand to benefit from the tethered drone’s stable, certifiable presence, circumventing regulatory airspace conflicts faced by free-flying drones.

Nanoveu’s drone ambitions also extend to battlefield and tactical-grade platforms operable in GPS-denied environments, leveraging GPS-free navigation and swarm coordination IP previously licensed from Nanyang Technological University. This integration promises electronic warfare resilience and extended mission endurance on small form factors, a key differentiator in contested electromagnetic environments GPS-free drone swarms.

Engineering Talent and Incentives to Drive Innovation

Integral to the acquisition is the addition of Dr Chee How Tan, Spinoff’s co-founder and lead researcher in lean sensing and embodied perception for lightweight aerial robotics autonomy. Dr Tan’s expertise is expected to accelerate Nanoveu’s drone vertical strategy, bringing deep engineering know-how in mechanical design, fluid dynamics, and autonomous navigation.

To align incentives, Nanoveu will issue Dr Tan 2 million performance rights vesting on share price milestones or continued employment, alongside 7 million performance rights to Spinoff stakeholders tied to revenue contracts, intellectual property integration, and Nanoveu’s share price targets. The deal is subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals, with settlement expected by 31 August 2026.

Integration Accelerates Edge AI Commercialisation

This acquisition dovetails with Nanoveu’s broader ECS-DoT commercialisation program, which includes live drone trials in partnership with a US specialist validating flight endurance improvements. The combined platform enables rapid iteration of custom airframes around the ECS-DoT silicon, unlocking next-generation drone capabilities such as multi-chip configurations, counter-drone detection, and AI-driven flight optimisation.

Nanoveu’s approach contrasts with many drone OEMs reliant on third-party chips and airframes, potentially offering a vertically integrated advantage in sovereign drone supply chains increasingly demanded by allied governments. The ability to engineer silicon, sensing, flight control, and airframe as a unified system could prove pivotal in high-stakes defence and critical infrastructure markets.

Bottom Line?

Nanoveu’s acquisition of Spinoff Robotics marks a critical step toward fully integrated, sovereign drone platforms, but execution risks remain in scaling production and securing defence contracts.

Questions in the middle?

• How quickly can Nanoveu convert Spinoff’s technology into commercial drone sales?
• Will Nanoveu’s integrated drone stack achieve meaningful performance advantages over established OEMs?
• How will geopolitical shifts impact demand for sovereign, jam-resistant drone platforms?