MD5 and Army Futures Command present

 

A-Hack-of-the-Drones 

What: Commercial off-the-shelf, small, unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) have become ubiquitous, and the potential threat they represent in the hands of actors ranging from lone wolf terrorists to state-sponsored operatives, grows daily. The recent attempted assassination of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro using sUAS with explosive payloads represents the natural evolution of this threat and highlights the pressing need for technology and solutions to effectively counter these systems, while diminishing the risk to innocent bystanders. We’ll focus on four areas:

 

                -Detection of sUAS operating in waypoint mode (i.e. not actively broadcasting/communicating)

                -Novel Cyber Effects for undetected exploitation of the sUAS system, including the operator

                -Nullification of the sUAS’s ability to perform its mission without destroying the system

                -Elimination of a sUAS threat that has defeated all other cyber and electronic warfare counter-measures while minimizing risk to bystanders

Challenge area experts and technical mentors will be available to work with teams to develop their concepts. MD5 will procure a small fleet of representative commercial drones for teams to tinker with.

 

Who: Looking for developers, designers, and hackers from the academic, military, and commercial start-up communities to come together for a weekend to explore non-traditional, innovative methods to counter sUAS.

 

When: Fri, Sep 28, 2018, 5:30 PM – Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 3:00 PM CDT

 

Where: Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Austin, TX 78701

 

Why: Top teams will win up to $15,000 in awards to further develop their concept in collaboration with MD5!

 

Eligibility: Participation is open to all individuals over 18 years in age. Teams are welcome, but each member needs to register as an individual. Winning teams receive the opportunity for funding to further develop or demonstrate solution. Any recipient of funding must have the ability to legally perform work in the United States of America.

 

How to Enter: To participate, register on Evenbrite at https://hackofthedrones.eventbrite.com. To be considered for judging, all concepts need to be submitted on Devpost along with identifying your team members.

 

For additional event details and to sign up for a team go to https://a-hack-of-the-drones.devpost.com/