The First Responder UAS Challenges
Supported by       NIST | PSCR

The First Responder UAS Challenges – Supported by NIST & PSCR

The First Responder UAS Challenges

The First Responder UAS Challenges are a series of prize competitions hosted by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) The Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR).

Supporting the advancement of communications technology for first responder search and rescue (SAR) operations, these competitions offer competitors the opportunity to test their ingenuity, hardware knowledge and expertise in creating UAS prototypes for public safety.

UAS 6.0 (Now Launched!)

The First Responder UAS Wireless Data Gatherer Challenge (UAS 6.0)

The First Responder UAS Wireless Data Gatherer Challenge (UAS 6.0) has now launched – click on “View UAS 6.0 Details” for more information about competition objection and how you can join!

UAS 5.0 (Launched in 2023)

The First Responder UAS 3D Mapping Challenge (UAS 5.0)

As a firefighter, the need to investigate accidents and prepare for rescues requires collecting visual and location data about a structurally compromised facility and people in the facility without entering it. In this situation, having real-time data (more than just a live video feed) is imperative to gain situational awareness and to plan for the deployment of critical resources to achieve the mission objectives. Incident Commanders operating in this scenario need to prioritize critical resources and make decisions for a timely response. In addition to precisely locating people in the facility, a real-time 3D map could help identify obstacles and other hazardous conditions around the people that would be important for the planning of ingress and egress routes. These conditions could include smoke, a partially collapsed structure, limited or no lighting, and a GPS-denied infrastructure.

The outcomes of an ideal UAS solution will be an affordable solution that provides accurate positioning and high-quality 3D digital mapping real-time, supports public safety budgets, and complies with national security requirements.

Go to the UAS 5.0 challenge main page to learn more about this ongoing challenge.

The Stage 3 winners below received the following awards (associated monetary values listed in parenthesis).

Stage 3 Live Test & Evaluation:

  1. Team ResponseWing – 1st Place ($100,000)
  2. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – 2nd Place ($50,000), Best-in-Class: Blue or Green UAS Capable ($5,000), Best-in-Class: First Responders’ Choice ($10,000)
  3. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV) – 3rd Place ($30,000), Best-in-Class: Map Data Acquisition Speed ($10,000), Best-in-Class: Blue or Green UAS Capable ($5,000), Best-in-Class: Bill of Materials Total Cost ($10,000)
  4. Uniform Sierra Aerospace – Best-in-Class: 3D Map Deliverable ($10,000)

The following winners received $10,000 and an opportunity to compete in Stage 3 of the Challenge. Winners also receive travel funds for attending the Stage 3 Live Event.

Stage 2.2 Winners:

  1. Aggie Autonomy
  2. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV)
  3. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)
  4. CTUVA
  5. EpiSci
  6. FLYT Aerospace-ManTech
  7. New Horizon Innovations
  8. Spark Mobility
  9. Team ResponseWing
  10. Uniform Sierra Aerospace <> Purdue
  11. Voxel

The following winners received $12,500 and an opportunity to compete in Stage 2.2 of the Challenge.

Stage 2.1 Winners:

  1. AAUNO
  2. Aggie Autonomy
  3. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV)
  4. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)
  5. BlackBee Robotics
  6. CNA-RIIS
  7. FLYT Aerospace
  8. Maroon Scanner
  9. New Horizon Innovations
  10. ResQVision
  11. Team ManTech
  12. Team ResponseWing
  13. Uniform Sierra Aerospace <> Purdue
  14. University of Colorado
  15. Voxel

The following winners received $7,500 and an opportunity to compete in Stage 2.1 of the Challenge.

Stage 1 Winners:

  1. AAUNO
  2. Aggie Autonomy
  3. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV)
  4. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)
  5. BlackBee Robotics
  6. CausalTwin
  7. CNA-RIIS
  8. EpiSci
  9. Fire Eye
  10. FLYT Aerospace
  11. Maroon Scanner
  12. New Horizon Innovations
  13. NYU ARPL
  14. ResQVision
  15. Syndicus Aerospace
  16. Team ManTech
  17. Team ResponseWing
  18. Uniform Sierra Aerospace <> Purdue
  19. University of Colorado
  20. Voxel

UAS 4.0 (Launched in 2022)

The First Responder UAS Indoor Challenge (UAS 4.0)

Indoor disaster response and SAR operations can be some of the most dangerous and difficult scenarios for First Responders. NIST PSCR needs your innovative UAS solutions to support First Responders by scouting an indoor structure and increasing first responders’ situational awareness prior to entry.

The outcomes of an ideal indoor UAS operation are improving the usability, or flyability, lowering the total cost of the UAS platform, and making enhancements to autonomous sensors while operating with limited or no GPS signal.

Total Prize Amount: $685,000

The Stage 3 winners below received the following awards (associated monetary values listed in parenthesis).

Stage 3 Live Test & Evaluation:

  1. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV) – Grand Prize ($100,000), Best-in-Class: Ease of Operation ($7,500/tied), Best-in-Class: Flyability ($15,000), Best-in-Class: Additional Preferred Capabilities ($15,000) & Best-in-Class: First Responders’ Choice ($15,000) for a total of $152,500.
  2. Uniform Sierra Aerospace – 2nd Place ($70,000), Best-in-Class: Price ($15,000) & Best-in-Class: Ease of Operation ($7,500/tied) for a total of $92,500.
  3. TK6 – 3rd Place ($45,000) & Best-in-Class: First Responders’ Choice ($15,000) for a total of $60,000.
  4. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – 4th Place ($30,000)
  5. CNA-RIIS – 5th Place ($25,000)

The following winners of the challenge, stage 2.2, received $7,500 each and an invitation to participate in the Live Event.

Stage 2.2 Winners:

  1. Aggie Autonomy
  2. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV)
  3. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)
  4. CNA-RIIS
  5. NYU ARPL
  6. Purdue
  7. Team FLYT
  8. Team ManTech
  9. TK6
  10. Uniform Sierra Aerospace
  11. Sonalysts UAS Research Team

The following winners of the challenge, stage 2.1, received $7,500 each.

Stage 2.1 Winners:

  1. AAUNO
  2. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV)
  3. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)
  4. Banc3
  5. CNA-RIIS
  6. FLYT Aerospace
  7. New Horizon Innovations
  8. NYU ARPL
  9. Purdue
  10. R4-AI
  11. Team ManTech
  12. TK6
  13. Uniform Sierra Aerospace
  14. vRotors
  15. Team xVolent

The following finalist received an opportunity to compete in Stage 2.2.

Stage 2.1 Finalist:

  1. Sonalysts UAS Research Team

The following winners received $5,000 and an opportunity to compete in Stage 2.1 of the Challenge.

Stage 1 Winners:

  1. AAUNO
  2. Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV)
  3. Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)
  4. Banc3
  5. Cleo
  6. CNA-RIIS
  7. DistressNet
  8. iAI Tech-NJIT
  9. Nalu Technology
  10. New Horizon Innovations
  11. NYU ARPL
  12. Purdue
  13. R4-AI
  14. Sonalysts UAS Research Team
  15. Team FLYT
  16. Team ManTech
  17. Team xVolent
  18. TK6
  19. Uniform Sierra Aerospace
  20. vRotors

UAS 3.0 (2021-2022)

The First Responder UAS Triple Challenge

The First Responder UAS Triple Challenge was an exciting prize competition, with a total of $514K in awards designed to help save lives faster and support advancing first responder SAR operations. The challenge allowed competitors to use their ingenuity, hardware knowledge and expertise to create a concept for a UAS prototype through three different challenges.


Challenge 3.1 – Fastfind: UAS Search Optimized

Total Prize Amount: $245,000

Competitors aimed to help advance UAS technologies by building and flying UAS designed to extend the capabilities of current generation first responder SAR operations using a UAS in a heavily forested area.

The goal of this challenge was to build a UAS solution that helps a SAR team locate multiple missing persons more efficiently by improving image detection and enhanced navigation techniques to ‘close the distance’ more quickly.

First Place ($40,000): Team Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV) – University of Maryland

Second Place ($20,000): Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – Penn State University

Third Place ($10,000): Team Aggie – NCAT Purdue

First Responder’s Choice Award ($5,000): Team Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (AMAV) – University of Maryland

Additional prize money was distributed for prior Stages of these challenges.

Challenge 3.2 – Lifelink: UAS Data Relay

Total Prize Amount: $159,000

Competitors aimed to help advance UAS technology by building a solution designed to support broadband communications for local and state first responders in the field who need the ability to send and receive digital information continuously while dispersed in a thick forested area and no cellular connectivity.

The goal of this challenge was for competitors to innovate cost-effective, robust, and easily deployable solutions to this current technical barrier.

First Place ($40,000): Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – Penn State University

Second Place ($20,000): Team ManTech / FLYT Aerospace

Third Place ($10,000): Team EpiSys

First Responder’s Choice Award ($5,000): Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – Penn State University

Additional prize money was distributed for prior Stages of these challenges.

Challenge 3.3 – Shields Up! Securing UAS Navigation & Control

Total Prize Amount: $110,000

Competitors aimed to help identify UAS cybersecurity threats and build innovative countermeasures for those threats related to the disruption and preservation of UAS navigation and control to prevent mission failure.

The goal of this challenge was for competitors to demonstrate attacks on open-source software and use their creativity to design the countermeasures.

Stage Winner ($30,000): Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – Penn State University

Stage Winner ($30,000): Team CNA Corporation / RIIS, LLC

Stage Winner ($30,000): Team ManTech / FLYT Aerospace

Additional prize money was distributed for prior Stages of these challenges.

UAS 2.0 (2020-2021)

The First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge

Imagine a scenario where a citizen is lost in the desert. The existing Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) only covers 5% of the search area because of the local topography. A team of first responders deployed to the incident area need to rely on your UAS to carry wireless communications equipment that can be deployed quickly and support emergency response teams in the area.

The result of this Challenge was to expand current drone capabilities (i.e., vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), accuracy, stability, safety), payload management, and flight endurance to support SAR operations and other public safety missions of similar need.

Total Prize Amount: $455,000

First Place ($100,000): Team Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC)

Second Place ($40,000): Team Intelligent Energy

Third Place ($20,000): Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – Penn State University

Best In Class Awards ($5,000 each)

Endurance: Team Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC)

Innovation: Team Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC)

Cost Effectiveness: Team Endure Air

Weight: Team Endure Air

Autonomy: Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC)

Ease of Use: Team Endure Air

First Responder’s Choice (2 awards):

  • Team Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC)
  • Team Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC) – Penn State University

Additional prize money was distributed for prior Stages of the challenge.

UAS 1.0 (2018)

Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight and Payload Challenge

One of the barriers for UAS used in a public safety realm is payload versus flight time. VTOL for a UAS provides many different mission capabilities, but their flight time is limited. The payload capacity, energy source and flight time are linked through design trade-offs that can be optimized for efficiency and flexibility.

This challenge was designed to keep the UAS and its payload airborne for the longest time possible to support first responders’ communication technology on the ground while they conduct their search. The advancement of this UAS research was designed to help SAR operations support payloads for wireless communications or other life-saving goods to save lives.

Total Prize Amount: $262,000

First Place winner ($50,000): Team DV8 Tech

Additional prize money was distributed for prior Stages of the challenge.

The First Responder UAS Challenges
Supported by       NIST | PSCR

The First Responder UAS Challenges – Supported by NIST & PSCR