Professor Chun Taek Rim's research team took 3rd place in an

international drone competition hosted by the United Arab Emirates

□ On February 18, 2017, Professor Chun Taek Rim's research team from the Institute of Integrated Technology at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST • President Seung Hyeon Moon) took third place in the domestic division of "The UAE Drones for Good Awards," which is an international drone competition hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

∘ The UAE government has been organizing the annual Dubai competition since 2015, where research teams from all over the world have been demonstrating innovative drone technologies to improve public services and overall welfare.

∘ The prize money offered through this drone technology competition US $ 1 million for the international division and one million dirhams (or about 300 million won) for the UAE domestic division. This year, a total of 350 teams participated in the qualifying round, of which 10 from the international division and 9 from the domestic division advanced to the final round.

□ Professor Rim's research team won the 3rd prize in the domestic division in collaboration with Professor Lakmal's research team from Khalifa University of Science and Technology in the UAE.

∘ Dr. Su-yong Choi of the Korea Railroad Research Institute, Dr. Tae-chul Bhan of GIST, and KAIST Ph.D. student Byung-guk Choi participated in the research project.

∘ Wired charging drones were developed to monitor a wide area with unlimited flight times unlike drones that require batteries. At present, small-sized wired drones require 300W of electric power to be transmitted over a wire to a height of 200 meters above the ground. Therefore, the wires must be thin and strong to give the drone free movement.

∘ Wireless charging drones are drones that can be charged automatically when landing on a battery designed for the drones. The research team developed the world's first 3-D omnidirectional wireless charging technology so that the drones can recharge regardless of the landing position (2-D) or angle (1-D).

□ Professor Chun Taek Rim said, "The rechargeable drones are especially useful for traffic control, crime prevention, environmental monitoring, and aircraft and ship inspection. Next year, we plan to demonstrate a drone system capable of unmanned surveillance at higher altitudes."