Blue Sky competition logoWinners are named in the EPIC Blue Sky competition.

Winning project proposes using drones to monitor algae

A proposal to use unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor and mitigate algae growth took top honours in the Blue Sky pitch competition hosted by the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre (EPICentre).

Eight UWindsor teams entered the contest. The first round invited teams to get their friends, family, and community members to vote for their videos through their respective social media posts.

Five finalists advanced to a judging round, and two winners received cash prizes sponsored by the University of Windsor Alumni Association:

First place and $1,000 went to “Albatross – SAM” by Sheikh Ubaid, Ankit Bhat, and Haroon Ahsan. The three are working to develop a means of deploying unmanned aerial vehicle technology to stop the growth of harmful algae in its early stages.

The $500 second-place prize went to “Eye of Sauron” by Abishek Rajagopal and Sayee Shruthi. They wish to create radio-frequency identification for objects that will enable the visually impaired to perceive and work around physical barriers.

Find more information on the EPICentre website.