Design Challenge Parameters
Teams develop open-source, fixed-wing drones optimized for field application. The platform is designed to conduct medical delivery.
| Airframe | Fixed-Wing Airframe with modular 3D-printed components. |
|---|---|
| Payload | Payload capacity of at least 2 lbs. |
| Range | Round-trip delivery range of 5 km via a circuit flight path (to maintain line of sight). |
| Field durability | Durable and repairable in-field design, suitable for low-resource environments. |
| Launch and recovery | VTOL capability or equivalent launch/recovery solution. |
| Navigation and sensing | Autonomous navigation using open-source flight controllers (e.g., Ardupilot-based systems). |
| Budget constraint | Total material cost must not exceed $1,200 USD. Judging emphasizes cost-effectiveness, rewarding teams that achieve functional performance under budget. |
Workshops and Deliverables
You deliver the CAD files, the code and the build guides as open source alongside the aircraft, and the written proposal and the final presentation are judged by faculty and practitioners as part of the same body of work. Workshops run through the season on specific design issues, on drone ethics, on humanitarian logistics and on local governance, and your team can run workshops of its own to share technical insights as the design process unfolds.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
The contest awards a first-place winner, and a separate award recognizes the team that contributes most to shared learning and technical support across the cohort, whether by sharing tips or CAD models, by running small workshops on particular design discoveries or by hosting joint test flights. You are asked to see the other teams as part of the same effort rather than only as competitors.