By Tim Mahon
MBDA Germany and incubator brigkAIR launched the Swarm Drone Challenge at an event in Munich on 3 August. Endowed with up to EUR50,000 in prize money, the challenge is open to enthuse and stimulate drone developers, operators and suppliers worldwide and aims to promote innovation and advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Registration for the competition is open until 29 September.
The challenge will run until a final in May 2024, shortly before the ILA Berlin Airshow, with an interim qualifying round in March offering multiple information events, networking opportunities and support. Teams will be invited to showcase new drone technologies in a variety of disciplines, including resilience of communications and network flexibility. C-UAS developers are expected to pay close attention to the progress of the challenge, offering as it does an insight into fresh operational thinking and technology strategy.
“We hope that participants in the Swarm Drone Challenge will spur each other on to top performance,” said Dr Franz Glatz, brigkAIR Managing Director. “With the Challenge, we want to contribute to establishing the Manching/Ingolstadt region as one of the most innovative centres for unmanned flight in Germany and Europe. The prototypes created can later give rise to business ideas and start-ups that are promoted and located here in the region. The Swarm Drone Challenge is intended to inspire people interested in technology to remain open to new technologies, regardless of profession or industry, in order to actively shape the future of Ingolstadt as a location for innovation”.
For more information
Caption: (left to right) Dr Franz Glatz, CEO brigkAIR; Member of Parliament Dr Reinhard Brandl; and Dr Dirk Zimper, Member of the Executive Board of MBDA Germany, at the launch event in Munich on 3 August. (Image: André Pascal Forkert)
