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Drone competition winner earns a cool $1m

Cape Town - The United Arab Emirates has awarded a $1m prize to a Swiss entrant in the UAE Drones for Good Award contest.

Flyability won the award for its Gimball, a drone that can enter confined spaces and safely fly close to humans, proving to be highly effective in rescue missions.

Unlike other drones, the Gimball has a cage to protect the rotor so that minor collisions do not significantly impact on the stability of the device.

"We struggled to find funding to develop our search and rescue drone but this UAE Government Summit initiative, Drones for Good, means we can commercially develop our project within a year, and with Flyability able to go where it is dangerous for rescuers, help save lives," said Flyability team lead Patrick Thevoz.

Drone technology has hit roadblocks in several countries including the US and South Africa.

Economic losses

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has yet to come up with a dedicated set of rules for low-flying drones under 25kg and e-commerce giant Amazon has been lobbying for clear guidelines as the company wants to expand its delivery service using unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicles International, a trade group, estimates that the US economy will lose $10bn a year so long as drone-specific regulations are lacking mainly because of safety and privacy concerns.

The Consumer Electronics Association, which organises the CES technology show, said the market for these devices is hitting new heights as the technology previously used for military aircraft is adapted for consumer and industrial activities.

According to CEA research, the global market for consumer drones will approach $130m in revenue in 2015, up 55% from 2014, with unit sales of consumer drones expected to reach 400 000, reaching revenue of $1bn in just five years.

In SA, the Civil Aviation Authority has warned that drone flyers face huge fines.

Those who fly drones in civil airspace could face fines of R50 000, a prison sentence of up to 10 years, or both.

Drone technology could be useful for combating of poachers in SA and Kenya, aerial support for sea rescues, and the mapping and tracking of disaster zones.

The UAE runs the competition to demonstrate how drone technology could be utilised to benefit people.

'Service of humanity'

"The UAE Drones for Good Award is a tangible outcome of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to make optimal use of innovation and technology for the service of humanity. The UAE Drones for Good award exemplifies our commitment to setting global benchmarks in this endeavour," said Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

Flyability won from a field of over 200 entrants and 39 semi-finalists while the winner in the national competition won AED 1m ($272 000).

"I congratulate the winners of this great competition, which showed the amazing ways we can use drones for good. All the entries have the capability to transform the world to make it a better place to live in and we are optimistic that they will continue to inspire new breakthroughs," said Al Gergawi.

Watch how drone technology can used to follow marine life in this online video:


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