Selected for the XPRIZE Wildfire competition!
Founded in 2023, BlackBee Robotics was created to provide custom UAS solutions and consultation services. The goal of BlackBee Robotics is to meet the needs of various industry partners as the UAS industry continues to widen and diversify.
Core Values
INNOVATION
COLLABORATION
COLLABORATION
COLLABORATION
COLLABORATION
COLLABORATION
EXCELLENCE
COLLABORATION
EXCELLENCE
The Team
JONATHAN KELLER - CEO
Jonathan Keller is the founder and CEO of BlackBee Robotics. With 8 years of UAS experience, Jonathan has established a robust career in uncrewed aerial systems.
A graduate of Virginia Tech, Jonathan achieved a B.S in Aerospace Engineering in May 2020. He went on to achieve a M.S in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech in August 2022, with a specialization in UAS acoustics for Detect and Avoid (DAA) applications.
Formerly the Chief Pilot and Project Manager at UNICEF's African Drone
and Data Academy (ADDA), Jonathan oversaw hundreds of safe UAS training flights totaling more than a thousand flight hours.
Now, Jonathan serves as a Systems Integration & Test Engineer for the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP). In this role, he conducts critical research to support the FAA with their goal of safely integrating UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS).
Jonathan has extensive experience in UAS research and development, including custom UAS design, prototyping, and validation. His research in the UAS field has included acoustics, CUAS, photogrammetry and surveying, DAA technologies, and more. His varied skillset allows BlackBee Robotics to develop innovative and competitive solutions for a wide variety of UAS problems.