From mountain rescue to inspections in petrochemical plants or on the railway network, there are many areas in which drones are being tested.
LThe challenge now is to develop technologies to use artificial intelligence and allow drones to perform some activities autonomously, without human intervention. This is the objective of the Drone Contest launched by the company Leonardo, which involves six Italian universities, whose projects were presented today in view of the first competition in September. “In the future, the use of unmanned technologies will be increasingly greater, and the Drone Contest is a fundamental step in Leonardo's path to create a strong sector ecosystem today that can lead to the development of new business models,” said Laurent Sissmann, Senior Vice President Unmanned Systems Leonardo.
Drone Contest, launched in 2019, will see universities compete in a three-year artificial intelligence competition. The first test, scheduled for September 18, 2020, will see teams from the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the University of Bologna, the Scuola Superiore S. Anna of Pisa, the University of Rome Tor Vergata and the University of Naples Federico II compete, who presented their projects today. Leonardo's goal is also to encourage the creation of a system that involves large, small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, spin-offs and startups. During the competition, PhD students (supported by Leonardo scholarships), supported by professors and in collaboration with university groups and Leonardo, will have to develop and propose the most innovative capabilities of unmanned drone systems. "The Drone Contest is a test of the future. A future that will be characterized by the use of unmanned systems that will carry out a spectrum of activities that humans will never be able to perform with the same effectiveness and depth of analysis”, added Roberto Cingolani, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer Leonardo. And from this initiative, concluded Sissmann, “we hope new start-ups and spin-offs will be born”.
Article published on 1 July 2020 - 13:53
