Flying robots made from egg carton material and some of the smallest visual technology not yet on the market have won Rod Walker Awards.
The awards, hosted by QUT, commemorate the State's aerospace visionary, Rod Walker, and recognise final year undergraduate students whose projects demonstrate excellence in the advancement of civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in Australia.
Ben Barnes from University of Technology, Sydney won the Advancement of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems award and a $2500 prize for developing a way to give quadcopters vision without using global positioning systems (GPS).
"I programmed on-board cameras to help a UAV understand where it was relative to the movements of its surrounding objects," Ben said.
"This would allow UAV use in areas GPS was not available, such as in a mine or under a bridge."
Nicholas Hourigan from The University of Queensland won the Most Innovative Paper Award for designing and building a biodegradable glider airframe for disposable unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV).
"It's basically an egg carton - moulded fibre. The material itself has never been used for airframes before. I repurposed it using a moulding technique for the airframe," said Nicholas.
"A disposable frame could be used for endurance flying if the UAV didn't need to return, or if someone wanted to make a few to learn how to fly."
The students said Rod Walker was famed for his work as co-founder of the world-renowned UAV Challenge, held annually in regional Queensland.
Rod Walker was founding director of the Australian Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA), founding board member of AUVS-Australia (now AAUS) and an educator and research professor with QUT.
He passed away at only 42 years of age in 2011, but his passion for technology is survived through an award to recognise and encourage future pioneers.
Duncan Campbell, Professor in QUT's Robotics and Autonomous Systems Discipline, and Chair of the Rod Walker Memorial Fund Steering Committee said growing the awards to support research would be a natural progression.
"Rod was integral in bringing international industry to Australia and we're committed to continuing this work," Professor Campbell said.
Judged by industry experts, the winners were presented with their awards at the Pacific 2015 on 6 October in Sydney.
Further information about the Rod Walker Awards or donating to the Rod Walker Memorial Endowment Fund, visit ARCAA at http://www.arcaa.aero/rod-walker-award-application/
Media contact: Rose Trapnell, QUT media team leader, 07 3138 2361 or 0407 585 901 rose.trapnell@qut.edu.au
