Idea Watch
International
National
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UAE Drones for Good Award
indoor spaces and search for potential disaster victims thanks to its geodesic exoskeleton design
doesn’t carry a financial reward. Instead, they will be honored and recognized for their work towards creating a better world.
January 12th 2015, Abu Dhabi – At the government summit in February 2014, the UAE Government announced the Drones for Good Award, which was dubbed as the World Cup of Drones. The initiative will highlight the positive aspects and the incredible humanitarian potential of this technology. Three different competitions are held: international, national, and government entities, summarized below. • International Competition The international competition is open to individuals, teams, and non-governmental entities from around the globe. There will be three different phases: open call, semifinals, and finals. The winner of the international competition receives 1 million USD. This year’s winner of the international competition is Patrick Thevoz, creator of Flyability, the world’s first collision resistant drone for search and rescue. Designed for the disaster relief sector, Flyability is a small, lightweight drone which has the unique capability of being able to collide with obstacles without losing stability and of being safe to fly in contact with humans. It has the unusual ability to squeeze into tight
• National Competition The national competition is open to all UAE citizens and residents, including anyone who is working, living, or studying in the country and is open to individuals, teams, and non-governmental entities. The competition is held in three different phases: open call, semifinals, and finals. The winner of the competition receives 1 million AED. The winner of the 2015 National Drone Award is the New York University Abu Dhabi for their creation, the Wadi Drone. The Wadi Drone was designed and built to document the vast diversity of the UAE’s wildlife by gathering images of different Wadi’s flora and fauna. The 2.2-kg drone can fly for up to 40km around the Wadi Wurayah National Park, the UAE’s first mountain protected national park, and collects data from 120 camera traps that capture images of wild animals at the park. • Government Entities The third competition is a special category exclusively designated for UAE Government Entities. Unlike the other two competitions, the Government Entities award
The initiative taken by the UAE government has been acclaimed globally, as it will significantly help to improve the negative association of drones with militarized war machines. Furthermore, it will provide talented individuals with a platform to voice their innovative ideas. The initiative has been considered as a good step towards a better tomorrow. The 2015 winner in this category is Etisalat for their Etisalat Network Drone. Designed to support logistics and disaster relief, the Etisalat drones can instantly extend network coverage; critical in times of emergency. The drones can be used to save lives by providing connectivity to remote locations such as off-shore oil rigs or ocean vessels. Connected through Thuraya network, the drones extend GSM coverage and enable people to use their existing mobile phones in the most critical conditions. The drones can also deliver high-grade medical diagnostic tools to emergency sites, enabling non-medically trained individuals to administer basic medical procedures and, under real-time supervision from doctors connected wirelessly to the emergency site from the hospitals, remotely execute life-saving procedures in real-time.
Issue 5 - MAY 2015
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