A reminder that registration, along with the deadline for the first Technical Report milestone (known as Deliverable 1) is due in a few days time (September 2nd, 2015). Full details can be found on the Medical Express page of this website. Get your Deliverable 1 submitted!

Teams may now register for the 2016 Medical Express competition. Please check the Medical Express page for details.

We are very pleased to announce that the Queensland Government has confirmed its financial support for the UAV Challenge 2015 and 2016. Today, Minister for State Development Dr Anthony Lynham said that the “…Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV) Challenge were important to get students thinking about how to use technology to solve real-life problems.” and confirmed $30,000 of funding over two years. We are extremely grateful for the continued support of the Queensland Government, who have supported the event every year since its creation. The UAV Challenge is co-organised by CSIRO and QUT, but relies on the generous financial support of other organisations for its continued success. The full Ministerial statement can be found here: http://bit.ly/1GQq2aD

l-r Dr Anthony Lynham – Minister for State Development and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, QUT Student Ambassador David Crofts, Professor Jonathan Roberts – Professor in Robotics and co-founder of the UAV Challenge, and Filippo Capurso, First Year Mechatronics student. (Picture: Patrick Hamilton)

A reminder that the deadline for high-school teams to register for the UAV Challenge 2015 is July 29th. To register, simply email uavchallenge@gmail.com with the name of your team, where you are from, your contact details and the name of the competition(s) you intend on entering.

The video of the 2014 QUT Grand Challenge Lecture about the UAV Challenge is now available to watch online. Warning: it is a long lecture – 1 hour 6 mins. The full lecture is available here on QUT’s Youtube channel.

The second version of both the Airborne Delivery and Robotic Delivery Challenge rules have just been released. The updates mainly relate to the specification of the medical package and G-force sensors. You can download the rules from the High-School page.

A Game of Drones, by Michael Stahl

“Held every two years in Queensland, the UAV Challenge encourages innovation in outback rescue and aerial drone development. THE SMALL PLANE gathers speed on the runway, its single-propeller engine rasping against the strong crosswind. It climbs into the air, slewing momentarily in the gusty conditions before correcting and continuing its arrow-straight ascent. It really is small – a 2m wingspan – and is being flown with an autopilot system built by a handful of computer boffins and model aeroplane hobbyists.” Read the full article here.

Do you have questions about the UAV Challenge Medical Express? Teams have been emailing the Technical Committee for clarifications. We will post common questions and answers here on the new FAQ page.

The first release of the UAV Challenge High-School competition 2015 rules have been released. Please see the High-School page for details.

The first release of the UAV Challenge Medical Express 2016 rules have been released. Please see the Medical Express page for details.