SUAS
STUDENT UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS COMPETITION
The Student Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition (SUAS) has been the world's largest collegiate aerial robotics competition since 2002. Every participant must design, integrate, report on, and demonstrate a UAS capable of autonomous flight and navigation, remote sensing via onboard payload sensors, and execution of a specific set of tasks. The tasks are joined to form a simulated real-world mission. The competition updates these tasks to reflect the forefront of the UAS industry. Every Summer, more than 50 student teams of drone engineers worldwide compete against one another, and now Ascend is rising to the challenge!
The competition mission focused on a realistic package delivery scenario. Competing drones were required to autonomously navigate to customer locations, avoid other UAS in flight, identify potential drop sites, and safely deliver packages. The mission tested the drones' capabilities in autonomous flight, obstacle avoidance, object detection, and precise air drop execution.