Students vying in UAV competition

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This article was published 14/03/2016 (3584 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you are anywhere close to Southport on the weekend of April 30, you might see a drone fly by.

Over 100 students on 18 teams from universities and colleges across Canada will be flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the annual student competition from April 29 to May 1.
Southport is hosting the competition for the third time, as it switches on a two-year rotation from the former RCAF airbase (RCAF Station Macdonald) near Portage to a site in Alma, Que.

“It’s very successful. It started eight years ago with just three teams and has grown to 18 teams, and very qualified teams as well,” said Deanna Mitchell, Southport’s business development manager.

Mitchell said the students come from computer engineering programs.

According to the Unmanned Systems Canada’s website, “The purpose of the competition is to promote and develop Canadian expertise and experience in unmanned systems technologies at the university and college levels. The students are faced with real life scenarios involving the environment, agriculture, mining, transportation, and oil and gas sectors.”

Mitchell said this year’s event will challenge the students to create and fly UAVs that will probe crops in a field. “This is especially relevant to this market as we requested the project be agricultural,” Mitchell said.

They must identify the crops’ location, type and health and map them with an airborne sensor system.

Mitchell said corporate sponsors attend the competition, and students might be recruited for jobs in the growing industry.

The competition is open to the public.

For more information, see https://unmannedsystems.ca/home/students/student-competition-details/

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