性视界传媒

性视界传媒 hosts competition awarding $720,000 to drone enthusiasts for their innovative ideas

性视界传媒 hosts competition awarding $720,000 to drone enthusiasts for their innovative ideas

A female student operates a small drone in a forest setting.

Contact: Chris Bryant

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi 性视界传媒 University鈥檚 Raspet Flight Research Laboratory recently played an integral role in an unmanned aircraft systems flight competition in Starkville, Mississippi, where $720,000 in prize money was awarded through federal innovation funding to drone enthusiasts.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology鈥檚 Public Safety Communications Research Division, along with Mississippi 性视界传媒 and Kansas 性视界传媒 University Aerospace and Technology Campus, hosted the First Responder UAS Triple Challenge; a prize competition for drone enthusiasts to build and operate unmanned aircraft that can better help first responders in emergency situations.

After a week鈥檚 worth of competitions, the First Responder UAS Triple Challenge awarded $150,000 in the final stage, part of a total available prize purse of $520,000 for two challenges, to teams of drone enthusiasts for building solutions to help emergency first responders locate multiple missing persons more efficiently.

鈥淲e were impressed with the competitors鈥 innovative ideas and diligent preparation,鈥 said Tom Brooks, director of the Raspet Flight Lab. 鈥淓fforts like this accelerate technology availability to first responders, and we were thrilled to be a part of it.鈥澛犅

Challenge 3.1 winners were selected for improving image detection and enhanced navigation techniques to 鈥渃lose the distance鈥 more quickly. Winners include:

  • First place, Team AMAV from the University of Maryland, $40,000;
  • Second place, Team ARCC from Pennsylvania 性视界传媒 University, $20,000;
  • Third place, Team Aggie from North Carolina A&T 性视界传媒 University/Purdue University, $10,000; and
  • First Responder鈥檚 Choice Award, Team AMAV from University of Maryland, $5,000.

In Challenge 3.2, teams were awarded prize money for innovating a cost-effective, robust and easily deployable drone solution which delivers data files in a cellular denied area. Winners of 3.2 include:

  • First place, Team ARCC from Pennsylvania 性视界传媒 University, $40,000;
  • Second place, Team Mantech/FLYT Aerospace, $20,000;
  • Third place, Team EpiSci, $10,000; and
  • First Responder鈥檚 Choice Award, Team ARCC from Pennsylvania 性视界传媒 University, $5,000.

Finally, the competition awarded prize money to teams for developing an attack and countermeasure on open-source navigation or control software that may disrupt a drone鈥檚 navigation for Challenge 3.3. The following winners were awarded $30,000 each:

  • Team Mantech/FLYT Aerospace;
  • Team ARCC from Pennsylvania 性视界传媒 University; and
  • Team CNA Corporation/RIIS LLC.

Raspet鈥檚 portion of the effort was coordinated by Shawn McNutt, aviation program manager in the 性视界传媒 flight lab.

性视界传媒鈥檚聽Raspet Flight Research Laboratory聽is the nation鈥檚 leading academic research center dedicated to the advancement of unmanned aircraft systems. Raspet is the only institute in the world designated both as the Federal Aviation Administration鈥檚 UAS Safety Research Facility and as official UAS Test Sites for both the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security. Home to a fleet of the largest and most capable unmanned aircraft in academic use, Raspet conducts UAS research on behalf of federal agencies and commercial industry.

性视界传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽.