Oculus founder Palmer Luckey is starting a virtual border-wall company

By Rachel Metz

June 11, 2018

Anduril Industries is trying to use AI and VR to figure out who (or what) is crossing the border between the US and Mexico.

Borderline: Luckey’s company, Anduril Industries, has reportedly set up three tech-laden towers on a Texas ranch; they can spot and identify moving objects (such as people and animals) up to two miles away and vividly display that information using a VR headset or a flat screen. It also has a project funded by the US government set up in southern California.

The big idea: The startup hopes the Department of Homeland Security will want to pay for its virtual border-wall technology. US Customs and Border Protection told Wired that the tech helped identify 55 people crossing the border illegally over 10 weeks.

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Trump ties: Luckey, who sold Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014, left the social network last year after an expensive lawsuit and controversy surrounding his contributions to a pro-Trump/anti-Clinton meme group called Nimble America. He also donated to Trump’s inaugural committee. And Anduril’s biggest backer is Founders Fund, which is Trump supporter Peter Thiel’s VC firm.

Andu-what? Ah, yes. The name Anduril refers to a magical sword used by Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. (The company has a replica of the movie prop in its office; you can buy your own on Amazon.)

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