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Look, ma, no pilot!

U of M invention about to take off

By ALANA PONA, STAFF REPORTER

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A group of University of Manitoba students' latest invention is about to take off in an international competition.

The team of students and recent graduates are travelling to the Webster Naval Reserve in Maryland to compete for the most efficient unmanned aerial vehicle.

"It's a specific technology that will take off, land and search all on its own using a GPS system," said Stephen Dueck, chair of Team Manitoba.

'ENHANCES'

The robot, weighing four-and-a-half kilograms, is used to search for ground targets without human assistance.

"Maintaining a stable flight, it can replace enough human function to eliminate the boring or dangerous jobs that we don't want to do," said Dueck.

"It enhances human involvement working on the ground."

Dueck said the team will have to prove to their American competitors that their UAV can take off on its own and cover all aspects of a specific search pattern.

"The computer has to be able to find something (in the pattern), then land on its own as well," he said, adding that the robot is now being used or researched by military and civilian agencies.

According to Dueck, the robot planes could act like "eyes in the sky," catching smugglers on the high seas in boats with illegal drugs.

In the meantime, Dueck hopes the four -and-a-half month project will one day become part of the university's curriculum.

"I hope the U of M will take (this project) under their wing and make it part of their final thesis project.

"We'd like to see this project survive longer than us and persist at the U of M."