33 student teams from 15 universities and 4 vocational education institutions took part in the first engineering challenge from Brave1 — “Drone with Paws”.
The participants had to create a prototype of a mechanical attachment for an FPV drone that allows:
- to land and fix on natural and artificial surfaces at altitude
- to stay without consuming energy
- to perform a controlled release to continue the flight
According to the results of the expert jury (military, manufacturers and the Brave1 cluster), the highest level of engineering logic, realism and integration potential was demonstrated by:
- “Deer Horns” — Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
- “TICK” — Kharkiv Aviation Institute (KHAI)
- “IKozaky” — Donetsk National Technical University
The teams shared the prize fund of 90,000 UAH.
From all of Khai, we sincerely congratulate our incredibly talented students of the 110th group: Olena KIRZUN and Tamara SIRIK
Under the sensitive guidance of the associate professor of the Department of Aircraft Production Technology (104) Oleksiy PAVLENKO, the girls won the Brave1 engineering challenge.
This is the result of unique, intense work 24/7, performed in the shortest possible time, and true professionalism.
In addition, another Khai team, “Kolugo,” took part in the challenge.
It included students of the Faculty of Aircraft Engineering: Lina ABUKARE (gr. 135) and Yevgeny IVANKOV (gr. 1-93a st.)
The curator is the associate professor of the Department of Information Technology Design (105) Oleksandr KARATANOV.
The team did not make it into the top three, but performed at a high level.
Students after the competition: “The development was presented. We don’t know the final results yet, but we have already been invited to startups for further work as specialists. Many manufacturers have also offered cooperation with the prospect of employment.”
Another important result: 5 Ukrainian defense tech companies — including Darts, General Chereshnya, and Defender Dynamics — selected 10 teams with the greatest potential for practical application. For a month, they will work together with R&D specialists to refine their solutions.
This challenge was the start of a new direction of Brave1 — Brave Students. Its goal is to involve students in real tasks of the defense tech industry: so that talented engineers can find themselves faster, and the industry can receive a new generation of specialists.
The initiative is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine within the framework of the EU4UA Defence Tech project.
