French LoRaWAN specialist Actility has acquired API-K, a startup known for its innovative LoRaWAN tracking system designed for mountain sports and rescue teams. API-K was co-founded by François Sforza and Nicolas Sornin, two of the original inventors of the LoRa protocol. Both Sforza and Sornin have past affiliations with Cycleo/Nanoscale and Semtech. The acquisition cost remains undisclosed.
API-K has developed a unique LoRaWAN-based sensor system dubbed “beacon,” which significantly extends the search radius for rescue operations. Actility claims this technology enhances the effective search range by two orders of magnitude compared to other IoT solutions. The main components include a geo-location detector used by search-and-rescue teams, capable of scanning locations up to 10 kilometers. This system can detect signals from API-K’s Personal Location Beacon (PLB) carried by skiers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Notably, the detector weighs less than 100 grams.
The technology’s versatility allows it to be deployed in both manned and unmanned aircraft, facilitating rescue operations even when individuals are buried under snow. API-K detectors have already seen deployment by the French mountain police, or PGHM, for aerial rescues. Grenoble-based API-K has long collaborated with Abeeway, an Actility subsidiary, on designing LoRaWAN equipment for ski resorts.
Actility plans to integrate API-K into its Abeeway portfolio, enhancing its range of patents and location technologies. The company also intends to license API-K’s PLB technology to leading outdoor brands, thereby equipping more rescue organizations and emergency response teams. Actility aims to expand this technology to include natural park security, maritime rescues, and asset recovery.
Sornin and Sforza, in a joint statement, praised the technology’s potential: “Since our invention of LoRa, we have worked tirelessly to extend IoT networks across entire countries and even into space. Despite this, emergencies can occur when the network is not available. With API-K’s peer-to-peer location technology, rescue teams no longer need to spend hours in the sky searching for a tiny point on the ground. The long-range LoRa signal becomes a life-saving technology, and it is one of our most meaningful achievements. We are delighted that Actility wants to further develop this technology.”
Olivier Hersent, CEO of Actility, emphasized the crucial role of the technology: “The safety of people is, of course, a primary concern, and every minute is precious when it comes to locating and rescuing a missing person. In this context, API-K’s very long-range PLB technology already enables air rescue units to locate beacon carriers even when the last known position is only within a 10 km radius. We will work to make API-K technology the new standard for outdoor geo-security, but also more generally for aerial and terrestrial search-and-rescue.”
Olivier Favre, head of the PGHM, added, “The PLB [solution] allows for very effective detection and location, even outside any telecom network coverage. Anyone equipped with an API-K/Abeeway PLB in France can now be found by the PGHM following a call from a relative to 112.”
A statement from the Courchevel ski resort underscored the partnership’s benefits: “Courchevel is happy to continue ensuring the safety of its ski area and the movement of motorised vehicles with technology developed by API-K, while also ensuring the possibility of evolving its collaboration to the specific needs of the resort.”
