INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A team of students from the University of Washington is developing self-charging drones that use AI to survey electrical lines to look for
Team Voltair competed against 22 student-created startups from around the Pacific Northwest in the final pitches held Thursday at Seattle
Center.The students are tackling the challenge of energy grid reliability as demand is increasing thanks to the electrification of
transportation, building heating and cooling, data center expansions, industrial manufacturing and other uses.But grid outages are
increasing due to issues such as extreme weather events, while line workers who maintain the infrastructure are retiring at rising
of sense if your power goes out every month
designed to monitor thousands of miles of power lines, particularly in rural areas
The drones will initially survey for vegetation growing into the lines, with future plans to look for the degradation of insulators and
Their technology will use AI to analyze the videos and other data collected to identify problem areas, pinpointing sites for crews to check
out.The team developed the technology that allows the drones to take breaks and recharge directly from the power lines, saving the need to
semi-autonomously, but Voltair aims to make them fully autonomous.The students have bootstrapped their effort so far
Innovation Challenge, making their pitch to judges on Thursday at the Seattle Center
Electrical Engineering, Business, Computer Science, Environmental Engineering, Finance, Commerce)
$10,000 second-place prize, presented by
Kathryn GardowMetallyze is targeting pollutants in wastewater with an IoT sensor network that can detect heavy metals in real
presented by the UW Clean Energy InstituteEnviroTect is developing a device that filters the volatile gasses that are released into the
Technology Management MBA, Environmental Science)
$2,500 Reimagine Prize presented by Meliorate PartnersElementrailer is working on an
electric-powered utility trailer that can address range anxiety for EV owners worried about the extra juice needed while towing, and also
Mechatronic Systems Engineering)
$2,500 Leo Maddox Innovation in Oceanography Prize, with support from the Leo Maddox Family LegacySubvision
Robotics is building an autonomous marine rover for cleaning the hulls of ships that uses UV light and avoids the costs of hauling out a
vessel for maintenance.
Solar IndusTrees (UW)
$1,000 Connie Bourassa-Shaw Spark AwardSolar IndusTrees is developing a low-cost, sustainable
solution that enhances solar cell performance.
CureXsco (UW)
$1,000 Connie Bourassa-Shaw Spark AwardCureXsco is creating a cost-effective
Other participating schools included UW Tacoma, the Global Innovation Exchange, Portland State University, Gonzaga University, and the
University of Idaho.Past contenders have launched startups to commercialize their technology
Environmental Innovation Challenge
(UW Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship Photo / Paul Gibson)Source: GeekWire
