UAE Innovation Challenge opening day highlights students' hands-on approach to Engineering Technology

Abu Dhabi, April 25, 2013 (WAM) - Majestic auto-piloted flying, thrilling aerial manoeuvring, broken aircraft, crashes and enthusiastic remodelling were all part of the opening day of the UAE Innovation Challenge 2013, held yesterday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The Innovation Challenge, which runs from April 23-25, 2013, is hosting 77 Higher Colleges of Technology Engineering Technology students, comprising eleven teams, who are vying for the honour of creating the best overall unmanned aerial vehicle. The winning team will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Convention for North America, to be held in Washington, D.C. in August 2013. That team will get to present its design at the Convention. In addition to the first prize, ADASI will present a prize for the second placed team and there will be additional prizes presented to the various category winners and a Medal of Accomplishment for all competitors. The Challenge encourages students to apply their mathematical and scientific knowledge to a real world engineering project. The eleven HCT teams, made up of male and female students, learn the engineering process of designing, building and testing/flying unmanned aircraft, as well as developing teamwork and presentation skills. Today will be the second day in which the students undertake flying demonstrations of their ultra-modern aircraft at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium, where their aircraft, often modelled on fighter jets, have to complete a series of intricate manoeuvres, whilst under auto-pilot conditions. The teams are given the opportunity to improve on their initial flights from yesterday, and therefore improve on their overall flight times and scores. Teams are judged on their presentations, and the weight, performance and endurance of their respective unmanned aircraft. The team scores are based on 15% for achieving milestones throughout the project; 45% for their presentations and 40% for the fastest, penalty-adjusted flight. Teams can also opt to aim for a 10% bonus score for completing a spot landing. The teams have already given their oral presentations in front of the judging panel where they were quizzed on such things as design, weight, specifications and overall knowledge of their aircraft. The highlight of yesterday’s flights was Spirit of Al Ain successfully completing an autonomous spot landing as part of their first flight for the day, earning them a 10% bonus and propelling them into leadership contention. The judges said this year's competition was very close between the top five teams, with all competitors "raising the bar" in their presentations and flights. The Challenge's official awards ceremony will be held at 9am on Thursday, April 25 at the HCT Abu Dhabi Men's College. The awards are for: Best Team Sportsmanship, First Place, Second Place, Third Place, Best Presentation, Mentors' Choice, Most Creative Aircraft Design, Best Accuracy Aircraft, Best Spot Landing and HCT Chancellor's Award. The feeling amongst all student teams during the first day was one of great excitement, tinged with a dose of nerves, particularly for newcomers. The Sharjah Women's College team, the Falcatronics, was unanimous when they said "We are all very nervous, but it is so exciting to be here." "It was very difficult at the beginning and it's been challenging for us, as even the electronic engineering parts we have been doing is at a higher level than the material we are studying. But it was really exciting designing, making and flying our plane," one Falcatronics member said. For first-timers the Fujairah High-Flyers - all electronic engineering students - it was a case of going into unchartered territory. "This is the first time the students have been into aerodynamics and aerospace, so it's been a bit of trial and error for them, but a great learning experience," Fujairah mentor Barry Naidoo said. Fujairah team member Abdalla Othman said he was "loving the experience". "We did not believe we would be here, but we have worked hard and it's great to be a part of it. We don't have a course in aviation at Fujairah so we started from scratch, from the beginning, learning everything," he said. Other newcomers, Ras Al Khaimah's Sky Masters, made up of third-year Mechatronics students, were coming to grips with crashes and repairs to their plane. "We have learned a lot in this competition, it has really helped us work as a team. It's been great and we hope to get a position in the final," team captain Ahmed Al Thahab said. Sky Masters' mentor Dr. Yasser Elkady was justifiably very proud of his students. "They have worked so hard and never complained. They have always been very happy, enjoying the experience even though they have had to work such long hours. Even when their plane crashed on its first test they just kept going to get it right," he said. For the Spirit of Al Ain team, self-belief was able to overwhelm any disappointment after multiple crashes in testing. "This is our sixth version of the plane, but we are really enjoying it all. We are working closely with the Seven Stars team, also from Al Ain we are two groups but we work as one," said team member Fatima Al Shamsi. Fatima explained that after being absent at the 2012 competition, the name Spirit of Al Ain has made a comeback this year. "We kept the name because it is a lucky name for us and for our colleges. We have all got spirit and we have the spirit of Al Ain," she said. Emirates Robotics, from Dubai Men's College, also faced last-minute changes. "Our first plane, made of balsa wood, crashed before the competition and we had no time to make another one, so we had to make one out of foam. It took 20 hours to finish, so we are relieved it is flying," team member Khalil Al Balooshi said. The eleven teams of HCT Engineering and Avionics students are: Spirit of Al Ain ( Al Ain Colleges) Seven Stars ( Al Ain Colleges) Mechatronics (Abu Dhabi Men's College) Avionics (Abu Dhabi Men's College) Spiritique (Abu Dhabi Women's College) Emirates Robotics (Dubai Men's College) Sky Divers (Dubai Men's College) Fujairah High Flyers (Fujairah Colleges) Sky Masters (Ras Al Khaimah Men's College) Desert Falcons (Sharjah Men's College) The Falcatronics (Sharjah Women's College) The annual event is hosted by the Higher Colleges of Technology in cooperation with Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investment (ADASI). The teams have prepared their aircraft over a five month syllabus with the assistance and mentoring from HCT faculty and Engineers from Northrop Grumman Corporation '&' ADASI. Northrop Grumman also supplied the teams with identical aircraft kits as part of the Challenge. – Emirates News Agency, WAM