Leonardo Drone Contest, in Turin the final challenge of the competition between six Italian universities, including Sant'Anna School, to design drones capable of autonomous flight

Six italian Universities (Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Milano, Università di Bologna, Sant’Anna School Pisa, Università di Napoli Federico II) competed on 6 and 7 October in the final round of the Leonardo Drone Contest, the competition devised by Leonardo Spa to design prototypes of drones capable of flying autonomously and without a navigation system. The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna took part with the team composed of Edwin Herrera, Baris Gabriele, Michael Mugnai, Massimo Teppati Losè, coordinated by Massimo Satler and Carlo Alberto Avizzano, associate professor at the Institute of Mechanical Intelligence.

The competition involved some flight tests in a virtual reality that replicated an urban scenario, with obstacles and little light. The prototype's task was to avoid the obstacles while continuing to chase the selected target. The six teams from the universities involved presented their drone in a context aimed at creating a closer link between business and research in the field of artificial intelligence applied to dronistics. The winner of the contest will be revealed on 20 October in Rome 

Conceived in collaboration with six Italian universities, the Leonardo Drone Contest was set up to promote the development of artificial intelligence in the field of unmanned systems. The aim of the event is to foster the creation of an innovation 'ecosystem' made up of large companies, universities, SMEs, and spin-offs. The Leonardo Drone Contest has been organised over three years, with two annual events, a scientific symposium and a competition.