The technologies, the companies have said, are designed to help border patrol agents spot and apprehend people entering the country illegally, as well as identify drug smuggling. Echodyne, a startup backed by Bill Gates, is a Border Patrol contractor and is testing a new generation of radar. Anduril, a startup founded by consumer virtual-reality pioneer and former Facebook executive Palmer Luckey, is testing a suite of surveillance services for CBP. Andreessen Horowitz-backed SkySafe markets surveillance drones and anti-drone technology — it doesn't contract with CBP, but has other contracts with the Pentagon to monitor the border.
