A drone which can withstand bad weather on film sets has won an emerging technology competition. Movie mogul James Cameron threw his support behind C-Prize, a Callaghan Innovation-led competition aimed at developing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector and boost New Zealand’s position as world-leader in the development of the cutting-edge technology.
The winning VorTech drone was designed ex-Auckland University students Ben MacLaren, Simon Corkery, Nishaad Salvapantula and Ryan Kurte.
VorTech won $50,000 and an expenses-paid trip to exhibit at the 2016 National Association of Broadcasters trade show in Las Vegas, the largest international trade show for media content and technology.
Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said New Zealand was at the forefront of technology when it came to making movies and television shows, but it was less well known that it was also a leading designer of UAVs for use in industry.
“The C-PRIZE has helped two sectors to work together through a challenge format to quickly develop breakthrough technologies that will keep both at the top of their respective fields.”
NZ-based students, innovators, and entrepreneurs were invited to solve technical challenges including improving the ability of UAVs to record and reproduce high-definition sound, operate in rough weather, and track objects for augmented reality and visual effects purposes.
Six finalists, selected from 80 entries, had less than four months to build and test their prototype.
When the competition was launched Cameron welcomed any improvements that would be made to make them more stable and quieter, to enable them to be used for a wider variety of world class shots.
“This is what excites me about the C-prize; teams can develop technology to reduce noise, increase stability and track filming subjects. I look forward to seeing what people come up with,” the director of Avatar andTitanic said.
VorTech undertook the challenge, which involved designing a UAV which could maintain stability in high winds, extending the range of conditions in which UAVs can be used for filming.
VorTech’s submission involved a cutting edge propeller inspired by work in developing wind turbines.
Source: Stuff