Media Advisory: Oculus VR and Anduril Industries founder, UAS entrepreneur Palmer Luckey to visit UND
Luckey will visit with UND students, president, attend annual UAS Summit and Expo
Who: Palmer Luckey, inventor of the virtual reality (VR) headset Oculus Rift, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) innovator.
What: A campus visit, featuring a presentation at the Nistler College of Business and Public Administration titled “Rebooting the Arsenal of Democracy,” which will include a conversation with students and UND President Andy Armacost.
When: Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1-2 p.m.
Where: Nistler College of Business & Public Administration – Auditorium, 3100 University Ave, Grand Forks, N.D.
Background:
Next week, entrepreneur Palmer Luckey will visit Grand Forks to outline his company’s efforts to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology.
Luckey is the founder and inventor of Oculus Rift – a head mounted VR system with applications ranging from design and the training of healthcare professionals to gaming and treatment of conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
In 2014, Facebook acquired the technology from Luckey for $2.3 billion.
In 2017, Luckey founded Anduril Industries Inc. – a defense technology company that is bringing the expertise, technology and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, transforming how military systems are designed, built and sold.
Anduril’s family of autonomous systems spans multiple domains and mission sets, including autonomous fighter aircraft, underwater vehicles, small UAS, force protection and counter-UAS, command and control solutions, solid rocket motors, advanced sensors, and more. All of these are tasked, connected, and controlled by Lattice, Anduril’s AI-powered software platform.
In April of 2024, Anduril was selected by the U.S. Air Force to design, manufacture, and test autonomous fighter aircraft as part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the Air Force’s flagship autonomous aircraft program.
The U.S. Department of Defense’s U.S. Special Operations Command has partnered with Anduril to deliver, advance, and sustain counter-UAS capabilities for Special Operations forces wherever they operate.
Anduril has also partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for border security technology, and works with several allied militaries including the Australian Defence Force and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Luckey will attend the 18th annual UAS Summit and Expo as the guest of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), where the pair will participate in an on-stage discussion, scheduled for Oct. 9 from 9-10 a.m. at the Alerus Center.
Media Contacts: Joe Banish. Email: joseph.banish@UND.edu. Phone: 701.777.6863
Sofia Haft, director of communications, Anduril Industries. Email: shaft@anduril.com
