PSCR’s Open Innovation team launched a new Prize Challenge for the Unmanned Aerial Systems or drones solver community.  The Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Program of the National Institute for Standards & Technology (NIST) is conducting The Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight and Payload Challenge.  This design and engineering challenge is open to academia, solvers and developers across the country and will award cash prizes up to $320,000 to the Top challenge participants who build a cost-effective, hardware prototype of a UAS (unmanned aerial systems) that increases flight time and payload for public safety operations.

One of the barriers for UAS used in a public safety realm is payload versus flight time. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS provide many different mission capabilities, but their flight time is limited. The payload capacity, energy source and flight time are linked through design trade-offs that can be optimized for efficiency and flexibility. This challenge is designed to keep the UAS and its payload airborne for the longest time possible to support first responders’ communication technology on the ground while they conduct their search. The advancement of UAS research will help search and rescue operations support payloads for wireless communications or other life-saving goods to save lives.

Join this exciting UAS competition using your ingenuity and hardware design expertise to help America’s first responders! You’ll showcase your UAS and flight skills with paid travel to the NIST Robotics Lab and the 2018 PSCR Stakeholder conference, where you will demonstrate your prototype and network with 500+ attendees! NO entry fee! Go to  challenge.gov for details about “The Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight and Payload Challenge” and ENTER TODAY or by January 29, 2018.