Raglan based Aeronavics are major sponsors and judges of the prestigious C-Prize event.

C-Prize is a Callaghan Innovation-led competition aimed at developing the unmanned aerial  vehicle (UAV) sector and to enhance New Zealand's position as a global leader in the advancement of the first class technology.

“We are honoured to be both sponsors and judge at C-Prize. At Aeronavics we always encourage innovation in the industry. C-Prize is a fantastic opportunity for new talent to make a positive impact on the industry,” says Linda Bulk, Director at Aeronavics.

Since 2010, Aeronavics has emerged as a world-leading designer and manufacturer of remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) for the commercial/industrial drone industry. Linda Bulk will be judging the Marangai Challenge which aims to develop technology that will allow a UAV to accurately hold its hover position and attitude in the highest-speed turbulent wind flow.

C-Prize recently caught the eye of Hollywood. Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron is interested in what the C-Prize competition can do for the film industry. “This is what excites me about the C-prize; teams can develop technology to reduce noise, increase stability and track filming subjects. I look forward to seeing what people will come up with,” says Cameron.

”A prominent director like Cameron supporting the C-Prize, demonstrates a great need in the industry for new ideas and the major opportunities for New Zealand based innovators and entrepreneurs seeking to develop forefront UAV technology,” adds Linda.

The challenges at C-Prize include improving the ability to record and reproduce high-definition sound from a drone, operate in rough weather and track objects for augmented reality and visual effects purposes.

Kiwi innovators have until July 5 to submit initial ideas to conquer these challenges, which will be judged by a panel of industry, technology and commercialisation experts. Those with ideas that make it through the first round will receive $10,000 and support to further develop those ideas into prototypes.

The overall winner, which will be announced in November, gets the $50,000 prize plus a trip

to exhibit at the 2016 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show in Las Vegas, which is the largest international trade show for media content and technology.

Based in Raglan in the Waikato region of New Zealand, Aeronavics offers full solutions for applications such as aerial photography, filmmaking, professional cinematography and service sector applications.

Contact Aeronavics:

Address: 226 Okete Road, Raglan, 3295, Waikato, New Zealand

Email: contact@aeronavics.com

Phone: +64 (0)7 825 5058

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Aeronavics

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AeronavicsLtd

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