Drone manufacturer Ashima Devices announced Tuesday that it will move its headquarters from Pasadena, Calif., to Reno, Nev., and is expected to bring about 400 jobs with it.
The jobs will be centered in researching, testing and building the company's unmanned aerial vehicles and are expected to arrive by 2018, according to USA Today.
Ashima's drones are controlled from the ground by a wearable tablet that users can strap to their arm while they move around. The devices, which are not in production yet, will be used for law enforcement, security, fire and rescue and industrial purposes.
Ian McEwan, chief technical officer at Ashima, said the company's round Hexpuck drones can provide short-range "situational awareness" of 600 feet to almost a half-mile. He added that the Hexpucks are designed to "get to the scene, get out and get reconnaissance going."
Larry B. Lambert, vice president of Ashima, said Nevada was a perfect place for the new HQ because of The Silver State's can-do attitude and an educated workforce that is interested in working on drones, Area Development Online reported.
The company said it was persuaded by Gov. Brian Sandoval's Office of Economic Development and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada to move to the state.
The Economic Development Authority said Ashima will create programs with the University of Nevada, Reno, to prepare students who are looking to take on drone-related jobs, USA Today reported.
"A lot of graduates from UNR and a lot of graduates from the community college system are going to find their way to Ashima," Lambert said.
"We want to build that community so a lot of your sons and daughters stay here and work here instead of going off to some other place."
