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Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
2024 Cybersecurity and AI Risk Management for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Working Group
2024 IEEE-RAS Response Robotics Seasonal School and Workshop
Learn More About the UAS 6.0 Prize Challenge
First responders often operate in environments that are dangerous and difficult to navigate. The Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) portfolio executes prize challenges that incentivize industry and researchers to develop drone technology to assist first responders in these situations. Through these prize challenges, PSCR drives innovation to improve the tools critical to search and rescue (SAR) operations, situational awareness, and more.
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Portfolio Mission:
To advance the capabilities of uncrewed aircraft systems and provide safe, effective, and reliable solutions to first responder in their crucial missions by conducting cutting-edge research for emergency response operations.
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Portfolio Vision:
To lead the innovation of uncrewed aircraft system technology that supports public safety efforts in disasters or emergency situations with degraded or destroyed communications infrastructure.
Featured Project
There is an urgent need to provide real-time situational awareness to first responders in indoor environments that have been compromised by severe damage due to fire, flood, structural collapse, and other potentially dangerous situations. The First Responder UAS Indoor Prize Challenge (UAS 4.0) addressed this need by developing a cost-effective uncrewed vehicle that can be used by Incident Command in a constrained environment. However, more can be done to improve UAS as a tool for first responders. The next NIST PSCR UAS competition, the First Responder UAS 3D Mapping Challenge, explores cost-effective UAS solutions capable of producing three-dimensional (3D) maps of an indoor environment that precisely locates obstacles, damaged structures, people, and other areas or points of interest in real-time or near real-time useful.
Learn more about the 2023 First Responder UAS 3D Mapping Challenge
Extramural Research
- 2018 Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight and Payload Challenge
- 2020 First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge
- 2021 First Responder UAS Triple Challenge
- 2022 First Responder UAS Indoor Challenge
Quick Resources
- Webinar Recording: UAS Triple Challenge: Drones for First Responders
- Webinar Recording: The History & Future of the PSCR Drone Program
Related Content
- Drone competition advancing technology to assist first responders
- University of Maryland students using drones to help fire crews
- Advancing Indoor Safety for First Responders: UAS 4.0 Indoor Challenge
- ‘Gambit’ Pays Off in UMD Team’s Search-and-Rescue Competition Win
- Purdue startup gains traction with drone tech
- It Takes a (Worldwide) Village to Improve Drone Technology for First Responders
- NIST Prize Challenge Launched Research for Unmanned Aircraft in Search and Rescue
- NIST Announces Top 4 Winners in the National First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge
- Flying Drones Compete to Complete Unprecedented Feat
- Survey of Drone Usage in Public Safety Agencies
- The Last Drone Standing: First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge
- Supporting Mobile Public Safety Broadband Using Drone-Borne Networks
- NIST, Engineering Laboratory/Intelligent Systems Division/Aerial Systems
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