XTEND wins US patent for drones that find their own way to a target

Key points

• XTEND Reality Inc. received US Patent No. 12,222,735, covering autonomous drone navigation technology, in 2025.
• The patent also has corresponding protection in Israel.
• XTEND says more than 10,000 of its systems have been deployed across more than 30 countries.
• The company is merging with JFB Construction Holdings and plans to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker "XTND".
• XTEND is one of 19 companies that qualified for Gauntlet II, a phase of the US Department of Defense's $1 billion Drone Dominance Program.

A Florida defence company has patented software that lets a drone fly itself toward a target even when the route ahead is unknown, cluttered with obstacles, or constantly changing. XTEND Reality Inc., based in Tampa, received US Patent No. 12,222,735 last week. Israel granted matching protection at the same time.

The core idea is straightforward. Today, many drones still need a pilot to guide every turn. XTEND's patented approach gives the aircraft a destination and lets it work out the route on its own, adjusting in real time as it encounters walls, rubble, or shifting terrain. The operator stays in charge of the mission goal. The drone handles the moment-to-moment flying.

That matters in places like collapsed buildings, dense urban streets, or active conflict zones, where a human operator cannot always see what is ahead or react fast enough. XTEND says the technology reduces how much mental load a single operator carries during a complex mission.

The navigation system sits inside XTEND's proprietary software platform, called XOS, short for XTEND Operating System. Think of XOS as the Android or iOS of defence robots: one operating layer that controls drones in the air, ground vehicles, and water-based systems all at once. A single operator can supervise several of these robots simultaneously through XOS.

XTEND co-founder and CEO Aviv Shapira described the goal plainly: "Autonomy is not simply about moving a robot from Point A to Point B. It is about translating human intent into reliable mission execution, even in unfamiliar, dynamic environments."

Founded in 2018, XTEND has racked up some tangible numbers. The company reports over 10,000 systems deployed across more than 30 countries and validation in five combat zones. It also disclosed more than $12 million in cumulative defence orders, including $3 million in recent follow-on contracts.

On the competitive front, XTEND was among 19 companies selected to advance in the Gauntlet II phase of the US Department of Defense's $1 billion Drone Dominance Program. That test, focused on autonomous one-way attack drones, is scheduled for August at Fort Carson in Colorado.

What does the planned stock-market merger mean for the company?

XTEND is not yet publicly traded, but that is set to change. In February, XTEND agreed to an all-stock merger with JFB Construction Holdings, a general contracting firm active in 36 US states. Under the deal, existing XTEND shareholders will hold roughly 70 percent of the combined company, with JFB shareholders taking the remaining 30 percent. The combined business, to be called XTEND AI Robotics, plans to list on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker "XTND" midyear, pending regulatory sign-off. Aviv Shapira will lead it.

For ordinary observers, the merger is mainly a story about a defence technology firm gaining the public market access and manufacturing scale it needs to grow. XTEND already runs production facilities in the US, the UK, Singapore, Israel, and Latvia, as first reported by The Robot Report.