Unmanned Systems Canada 2015 Student UAV Competition Results

Alma, QC – May 1-3, 2015 – Thirteen university student teams from across Canada competed in the Operational Phase of the 7th Unmanned Systems Canada UAV Student Competition hosted by, Centre d’excellence des drones – CED Alma QC.

Congratulations to VAMUdeS – Université de Sherbrooke for winning 1st Place on May 3, 2015. Phase 1, the design paper, attracted 16 teams and 13 competed in Phase 2 this past weekend. We congratulate all participating teams for their ingenuity, dedication and their respective institutions for the support given to their endeavors.

The mission for the competition was to address challenges commonly faced by the Oil and Gas, Mining and Agriculture industries. This year’s scenario was intended to be a new combination of three commercial challenges. Its format is designed to be an equal challenge for both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The team has been contacted by a town where an oil leak from a train derailment has occurred. They are to use the UAV to overfly the area, evaluate the damage caused to nearby agricultural fields and infrastructure, to assess the magnitude of the clean-up effort and to record evidence for insurance purposes. Various symbols and small structures are set out in the flying zone to simulate the scenario. A written report on the findings is also submitted to the judges.

Phase 1: Design Phase Results:

1st Place : VAMUdeS – Université de Sherbrooke
2nd Place: UTAT – University of Toronto
3rd Place: Team Guardian – Simon Fraser University

Phase 2: Operational Phase Results:

1st Place : VAMUdeS – Université de Sherbrooke
2nd Place: AERO – University of Victoria
3rd Place: KISS – Université de Sherbrooke

For the first time the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) partnered with Unmanned Systems Canada to support innovation from the teams. The prize for innovation was awarded to KISS – Université de Sherbrooke. Cash prizes were awarded for Phase 1 & 2 and participation totaling $10,600.00 at the Awards Banquet Sunday evening.

“This year, as in past years, the university teams came from all across Canada and arrived at the competition site with incredible levels of enthusiasm, technical capability and fellowship” said Robert Kendall, Executive Director of Unmanned Systems Canada. “Over the course of three days, each team tested their respective designs, overcame technical and structural challenges to get the job done for their “customers”…. And the results were first class! My overall impression is that innovation and solid engineering is alive and well in Canada!”

Of course such a competition only can be conducted through the hard work and dedication of a great team. We recognize and deeply thank our volunteer committee for their hard work and the support of the Centre d’excellence des drones – CED Alma for another successful competition.

Special thanks goes out to all of our sponsors and our event host. The competition’s continued success is a direct result of their continued support: Northrop Grumman, Kongsberg Gallium, NovAtel, Lockheed Martin, Flyterra, Connect Tech Inc. AVIYA, Airware, NSERC, Southport, CAE, Forest Protection Limited (FPL), LGL Environmental, MicroPilot, Cloud Cap Technology, Xiphos Technologies, FPInnovations, CGQ, NGC Aerospace, Ag Business & Crop Inc. & UKKO, simactive and Kopter.