Three challenges have been established for advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) technology that can aid first responders. Awards totaling $720,000 will go to new solutions for detecting missing persons, communications in areas with no cellular connectivity, and protecting UAS navigation and control from threats of disruption.
The goal is to help ensure that our nation’s first responders have access to the latest in UAS technology.
There are three unique challenge goals.
- The first challenge (FastFind) will focus on increasing the speed of search and rescue operations where direct visual contact with a potential subject may be obscured.
- The second challenge (LifeLink) will center on the resilience of network connectivity in remote areas where access to network connectivity may be denied.
- The third challenge (Shields Up!) relates to enhancing the security of both command and control as well as navigational communications between the drone and its ground station.
Winners have been announced for stage 1, but there is still time to join the first and second challenges, FastFind and LifeLink. The walk-on competition opens in April, 2022.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research Division, in conjunction with Kansas State University and Mississippi State University (Go Bulldogs!) are hosting this challenge to identify top designs.
Gloss