Swiss Company Takes Top Honors In The Competition

The United Arab Emirates has awarded a prize of $1 million to a Swiss company in its "UAE Drones for Good Award" program ... a kind of XPrize for unmanned aircraft. The award was announced prior to the 2015 Government Summit in Dubai.

The competition was created to recognize companies developing UAVs that are "for the good of the people" rather than military or hobbyist use. The program received hundreds of applicants that were narrowed to 39 finalists, according to a report appearing on the website Vocative.com.

The prize went to Flyability, a Swiss company that has developed an unmanned aircraft that it calls the "world's first collision-proof drone." Called "Gimball", the aircraft is surrounded by a geodesic cage which allows it to bump into things without damaging the object or the aircraft, and then learn from the collision to navigate around the object. The company says the UAV is ideal for cramped or cluttered spaces such as a rescue site, and could lead responders to survivors, perhaps by gently bumping into them.

The concept mitigates the need for crash-avoidance hardware and software, the company says, allowing the aircraft to be small and lightweight.

In addition to the prize, the company recently announced announced the completion of its first external round of equity capital from European and
Swiss business angels.

(Images from YouTube video)

FMI: www.flyability.com, http://www.dronesforgood.ae