Make a Drone for Good and win One Million Dollars – UAE Govt

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Future of Gov

drone for good

Gone are the days when Drones were used for killing in conflict areas. Civilian applications for drones have come of age and the UAE Government offers USD 1 Mn to promising prototypes that may benefit humanity.

There is a also prize of one millon AED for UAE nationals in the national competition.

Here is the details.

The International competition is dedicated to rewarding the most promising prototypes of future services that may benefit humanity at large.

Submissions must be able to demonstrate a working prototype that could conceivably be developed into a working system within the next 1 to 3 years.

The goal of the international competition is to highlight the most advanced research into UAVs and drones and accelerate their application in humanitarian, development and public service applications.

Eligibility
  • The International competition is open to anyone in the world.
  • Individuals, teams, or companies are eligible.
  • An individual, team or company may submit up to three (3) separate entries.
  • Eligible participants from the National competition may also enter the International competition as well.
Criteria

Submissions must:

  • Be forward looking and use the most advanced civilian UAV technology available
  • Describe the human need
  • Describe the proposed solution for meeting that need
  • Describe how it will be done

Submissions can suggest new ways of improving an existing service using drones, or new kinds of services that could be practically and economically implemented through these technologies.

Submissions must also be:

  • Fully autonomous
  • Safe
  • Effective
  • Economical
Categories

Submissions to the International competition can address any human need, service improvement or public good. This could include:

  • Disaster relief
  • Humanitarian aid
  • Economic development
  • Public health
  • Education
  • Civil defense
  • Logistics
  • Environment
  • Etc.

Concepts need not be 100% ready to deploy today, but must push the boundaries of what may be possible in the coming 1 to 3 years.

This could include applications to disaster relief, humanitarian aid, or any number of government services or useful applications.

Timeline & Key Dates

The International competition has three phases:

  • Phase 1: Open Call – 11th of May to 1st of August, 2014
  • Phase 2: Semi-finals – 15th of August to 15th of November, 2014
  • Phase 3: Finals – 1st of December, 2015 to 1st of January, 2015
Phase 1: Open Call

Phase 1 begins on the 11th of May. The goal of Phase 1 is to come up with the best idea for improving human lives through drone-based services. Participants have until the 1st of May to complete their registration, create a 2 minute video describing their idea, and submit a video to the competition website. A long-list of semi-finalists will be announced by the 1st of August.

Phase 2: Semi-finals

Phase 2 begins on the 15th of August, with the announcement of the long-list of semi-finalists. The goal of Phase 2 is to describe a complete technical solution for your service idea. Semi-finalists will need to submit a detailed technical proposal describing how their service idea will be delivered. Full technical documentation must be upload to the competition website by the 15th of November, 2014.

Phase 3: Finals

The final round of the International competition begins on the 1st of December, 2014 with the announcement of the short-list of finalists. The goal of the Final Phase is to address concerns raised in Phase 2 and demonstrate the actual service. Finalists must prepare a short presentation outlining the technical, functional and economic aspects of their service, as well as perform a live demonstration in front of a panel of judges in Dubai on January 1st, 2015. The winner will be selected and announced one month later at the Government Summit in Dubai, February 8th, 2015.

Award
  • All semi-finalists of the International competition will receive $5,000 USD to develop and improve their prototype.
  • All finalists for the International competition will be flown to Dubai, UAE for the final presentation and award, with their accommodation and other expenses covered.
  • The 1st place winner of the International competition will receive $1 million USD.
How to Submit

To submit, participants must do the following:

Phase 1: Open Call
  • Step 1: Register on this website
  • Step 2: Upload a 1 to 2 minute video describing your service concept
    Your Video submission should:

    • Describe the service need
    • Describe the proposed solution for meeting that need
    • Describe how it will be done
    • Be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video-sharing website, set to private, and the link should be pasted into the submission form.
  • Step 3: Describe your service idea in 500 words or less
Phase 2: Semi-Finalists

A group of candidates from the open call will then be selected as semi-finalists. They will be selected based on the quality of their idea, the importance of their service, and the feasibility of their concept.

Semi-finalists will be invited to submit a detailed technical proposal that must include:

  • Detailed description of the service including:
    • 3 to 5 minute video
    • 2,000 to 5,000 word write-up describing the full service
  • A technical report detailing:
    • Plans & schematics of how it will work
    • Components used
    • Flight time, speed and range
    • Operating system
    • Take off and landing
    • Power source
    • Avionics, sensors / optics
    • Cargo system
    • Tracking / management system
    • Etc
  • Estimated cost
  • Safety, security and regularity issues raised
  • Other limitations of the service and proposed solutions

Semi-finalists will be judged by a dedicated Technical Committee from around the world, based on their assessment of the feasibility and technical aspects of the proposed service.

Phase 3: Finalists

A small group of finalists will then be selected from the semi-final proposals. Finalists will be flown to Dubai in January to give a live presentation and demonstration of their service in front of a panel of final judges. The winner will be chosen and announced one month later, on February 8th, 2015, at the Government Summit in Dubai.

In their presentation Finalists must:

  • Describe the service
  • Describe the need
  • Describe the technical system
  • Describe the feasibility of the approach
  • Address any technical concerns raised by the Technical Committee

Points will be awarded based on the importance of the service, the feasibility of the proposal, the strength of the presentation, and the results of the live demonstration. The winner will be selected by the Judging Panel and announced at the Government Summit 2015.

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