Yan Wan, an associate professor of electrical engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington and an expert in multiple unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, networks, led her team to a strong showing at the 2019 Swarm and Search AI Challenge.
The competition, which had industry, faculty and student teams, challenged participants to map wildfires using unmanned aerial vehicles and newly developed Air Force software. The first two rounds were completed remotely, and nine teams were invited to Dayton, Ohio, for the final five rounds.
Wan and her team finished among the top five in each of the seven rounds of competition and, with the University of Michigan, was one of only two teams to do so. The technology they used could help firefighters more safely perform their jobs by providing real-time information and forecasts.
