The FRIENDS project was a research partnership between the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (IPFN), the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa), the Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN) and the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) of the University of Aveiro. The project received an honourable mention of the “Pedro Oliveira Innovation Award”, delivered by the Exame Informática magazine. The award ceremony took place on November 23.

The FRIENDS project (Fleet of dRones for radIological inspEction, commuNication and reScue Development) aimed to develop a solution with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for communication support in search and rescue missions. The project, which has since been finalised, focused on disaster scenarios and in the presence of radioactive material, in which UAVs allow for safer inspection and monitoring.

The Técnico professor Alberto Vale was principal investigator of the project for IPFN. Stressing that the work was carried out throughout the pandemic, with all the difficulties that came with it, the researcher says “the honourable mention represents the recognition of all the passion that each one [of the researchers] dedicated to the project”. The professor also highlighted the important role of Técnico – “besides having highly specialised researchers”, the school “also provides infrastructure and resources, namely state-of-the-art laboratories and technologies, access to scientific content” and also “students eager to try their hand at research”.

As for the next steps, Alberto Vale shares that, given the success of the FRIENDS project, a new proposal for a ‘sequel’ is being drawn up. “I can anticipate that, in addition to unmanned aerial vehicles, the next project will involve robotic quadrupeds operating in teams and more adverse environments”.