Funke
Fully Autonomous Flight 2.0
Hello people with radical new ideas! We need breakthrough innovation to define a new era of flight - smart, autonomous, and limitless. We need bold ideas. We need you.
Autonomous drones have the power to dramatically improve the way we live: delivering goods to remote areas, saving lives in extreme conditions, and performing tasks that are dangerous or even impossible for humans. To unlock this potential, we need breakthrough innovation.
The dream of fully autonomous flight is not yet a reality. What is missing are robust systems that can safely navigate complex environments without GNSS or human intervention. We are tackling this problem one more time with our new SPRIND Funke Fully Autonomous Flight 2.0
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The challenge: To develop an autonomous flight system that can operate safely without GNSS support or human control – validated through two clearly defined missions under real-world conditions.
The Funke focused on developing alternative methods to GNSS-based localization. Examples include approaches based on multimodal technologies – such as combining one or more cameras with other sensors like inertial measurement units – as well as alternative technologies like ultra-wideband or leveraging the Earth’s magnetic field. These examples are by no means exhaustive: other novel and alternative localization methods are equally welcome.
The winners
With HERMES, the Control of Networked Systems Group (CNS) at the University of Klagenfurt builds on over a decade of expertise in autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to reach new frontiers. We are developing the world’s first fully modular multi-sensor and collaborative state estimation framework based on highly robust equivariant filtering. By integrating diverse sensing modalities, we enable resilient GNSS-independent localization, reliable obstacle avoidance, detailed mapping, and advanced global and local mission planning. All algorithms run fully on-board, ensuring unparalleled autonomy, flexibility, and real-time performance.
Yannick Morel (CNS, Universität Klagenfurt) Martin Scheiber (CNS, Universität Klagenfurt) Eren Allak (CNS, Universität Klagenfurt) Barbara Pöcher (CNS, Universität Klagenfurt) Stephan Weiss (CNS, Universität Klagenfurt) Luca Di Pierno (CNS, Universität Klagenfurt)
The Jury
Further Finalists
F4F&CTU Skygraph
FAU-LM
MUNWAG
Avientus RadNav
Fox Storm
UBASWARM
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