A Czech AI startup says it can detect drones by sound for €150 per sensor, and it wants to wire up power grids first

This article was published on June 16, 2026 Neuron Soundware's Sound Shield uses low-power microphone sensors and Nvidia Jetson modules to identify drone acoustic signatures in real time, and the company is pitching dual-use deployment on electrical transformer stations Czech startup Neuron Soundware built Sound Shield, an AI acoustic drone detection system using €100-150 sensors that consume 1W each. Czech startup Neuron Soundware has built an AI-powered acoustic detection system called Sound Shield that identifies drones by the sound of their engines using microphone sensors that cost between €100 and €150 each. The system is designed as a passive, low-cost alternative to radar for detecting low-flying drones over cities, infrastructure, and military installations. The company, which has spent the past decade using AI to listen to industrial machinery for clients including Airbus, Siemens, and BMW, is now applying the same acoustic analysis technology to airspace defence. Sound Shield works by deploying small sensors called nEdge Minis, each consuming just 1 watt of power, that listen continuously for drone engine signatures. The sensors report to a computing platform powered by