EpiSci

Team name

Team EpiSys Science (EpiSci) 

Awards

• UAS 3.2: LifeLink 
  • 3rd Place: $10,000
  • Total 3.2 Prizes: $25,000

UAS 3.2: LifeLink solution summary

Team EpiSci used an Inova Avenger Pro drone, equipped with a Microhard pX2 and a 2.4 GHz omni-directional antenna, to provide a hotspot for First Responders. The drone connects to a ground station through a Microhard pDDL900 data link and is controlled through a custom QGC GUI which allows the operator to create a LifeLink mission. This mission allows the user to identify multiple receiver locations and use multiple drones. The SW clusters the receiver locations and assigns drones to visit each cluster. The drones continuously cycle through the receivers within a cluster until the user terminates the mission or a failsafe behavior kicks in. Additionally, the user can specify how long the drone visits each receiver, whether a receiver should be skipped, or to pause at a receiver. There are safety mechanisms integrated into the mission for flight deconfliction and terrain checking. Lastly, their drone has foldable propellers and legs for easy deployment and storage.

Team description

EpiSci is a multidisciplinary innovation-driven company that develops next generation autonomous technologies for defense, aerospace, and commercial applications. EpiSci’s diverse workforce includes advanced AI researchers in the areas of SLAM, navigation, exploration, computer vision, communication, signal processing, and networking, to provide both domain expertise and the ability to deliver solutions for both research-oriented and operation-aware autonomy. With a portfolio of Department of Defense and commercial technology, EpiSci develops and deploys trustable, modular, secure, and resilient autonomous systems to increase operator effectiveness while lowering cost and risk.