Unifly Announced as Finalist for AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards

Unifly has been named as a finalist in the Xcellence in Innovation of the XCELLENCE Awards by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI). Unifly was selected from a pool of accomplished applicants as one of several finalists. Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony at AUVSI XPONENTIAL on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. CDT at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
 
The SAFIR project successfully demonstrated that multiple drones can be used simultaneously and safely in even the most challenging environments, near an active airport and over the city and the port of Antwerp. Led by Unifly, the SAFIR project was realized by the following organisations: Amazon Prime Air, Aveillant, C-Astral, DronePort, Elia Group, Explicit, Helicus, the Port of Antwerp, Proximus, SABCA, skeyes and Tekever. The main focus of the SAFIR project was the real-time connection and collaboration between multiple systems for Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM).
 
"The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and organizations who have applied unmanned systems technology to create solutions to address a range of challenges affecting business and society," said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “AUVSI is pleased to recognize these finalists for their perseverance and dedication to turn dreams into reality.”
 
XPONENTIAL offers a broad-based and balanced educational program brimming with cutting-edge content and inspirational insights, ranging from policy implications and technical challenges to use cases and best practices across vertical markets and everything in between. The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards honor innovators in the unmanned systems industry, including individuals and organizations, with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of unmanned systems, and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve the human condition.
 
Zakariya Laftit, project manager of SAFIR, "In SAFIR project we demonstrated both the economic viability and the technological feasibility of incorporating drones in a challenging environment. We closely collaborated with the authorities and the other UTM service providers to ensure 100% coverage at all times, including flights beyond visual line of sight. SAFIR is part of U-space, the European initiative to enable drone operations. We saw break-through achievements, especially in interoperability and the amount of data exchanged, including operations plans, tracking data and e-identification data. The work performed in SAFIR will form the basis for the further roll-out of drones in industrial settings."