*Crowdsourced teensy killer drones. Yeah, that oughta perk up the geopolitical scene.
http://challenge.gov/DoD/212-uav-forge
From:U.S. Department of Defense
Category:Defense, Science & Technology
Partners:Naval Warfare Systems Center, Atlantic (SSC Atlantic)
The UAVForge Challenge combines a web-based collaboration site with a live competitive fly-off event to enable citizen scientists, creative minds and innovators everywhere to produce advanced small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) systems. ((("Everywhere"? Like, say, Yemen, North Korea and Abbottabad?)))
UAVForge is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Atlantic (SSC Atlantic) initiative to leverage the exchange of ideas among an international community united through common interests inspired by creative thought.
Background:
The UAVForge Challenge employs a crowdsourcing approach to collaboration. The www.uavforge.net website provides a virtual environment and tools to bring together the best ideas from around the world. As a member of the “crowd,” individuals are encouraged to use the UAVForge website to build teams, collaborate, design, develop and vote on various small UAV designs independent on geographic location, education, profession, or experience.
Individuals, ad hoc teams or other organizations are encouraged to submit ideas, designs, algorithms, materials, etc. where other members of the crowd can respond, vote, comment and contribute. Students, hobbyists and small business are especially encouraged to participate in this endeavor to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational opportunities.
A top manufacturing company (((cue "military-entertainment complex"))) will be selected to participate, providing designers insight and expertise throughout the competition. Peers will vote to determine the best vehicles.
Incentives:
Up to ten teams will receive travel, lodging, and per diem expenses for up to five team members to participate in the competition fly-off, with expenses not to exceed $15,000 (USD) per team.
The competition fly-off winner will be awarded a $100,000 prize and work collaboratively with the UAVForge manufacturer to fabricate an initial lot of up to 15 systems to be delivered to DARPA for evaluation and experimentation.
The competition fly-off winner will be provided an opportunity to demonstrate their air vehicle in a 2012 operational exercise. Up to five team members are invited to participate and will be paid travel, lodging, and per diem expenses in support of the event.
Vehicle Technical Performance:
The complete air vehicle system must fit in a rucksack carried by a single person. (((Hey where's mine? Can I get it through a TSA scanner?)))
The air vehicle must take off vertically from a starting location, fly out to an observation location, perform surveillance, return to an end location that is different from the starting position and land safely.
The air vehicle system must be able to fly and operate successfully with winds up to 15 miles per hour (mph).
Without previous detailed knowledge of the observation area, the air vehicle system must perform observations for up to 3-hours at a location up to 2.0 miles beyond line of sight from the starting location.
At the observation area, the air vehicle system must be able to identify persons or activities of interest up to 100 feet away. (((Vulnerable 1% financiers a plus. Hey no, just kidding.)))
The air vehicle system must send real-time video or pictures from its observation area back to the operator (a distance up to 2.0 miles).
The vehicle design must consider noise reduction features to make it as quiet as possible so as not to attract unwanted attention.
The user interface and vehicle controls should be simple and intuitive.
The air vehicle design should be affordable and producible based on an assessment provided by the manufacturer.
How to enter
Visit www.uavforge.net for more details. All interested parties are encouraged participate. You don’t have to compete in the in the fly-off to be a valuable contributor. Register to view and rate designs and UAV solutions. Individuals and teams who wish to compete for prizes must create a team and meet video milestones starting in October 2011.
