TYLER, TX — FIRST iZ (TM) has been named as a finalist in the Technology and Innovation category of the XCELLENCE Awards by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI). FIRST iZ was selected from a pool of accomplished applicants as one of five finalists. Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony at AUVSI XPONENTIAL on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. CDT at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
The product submitted for the contest was FIRST Port (TM), a rugged, weather-protected, remotely operated “smart” enclosure, which offers the ability to provide autonomous deployment, data gathering, and secure storage of a small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV), or drone. The port employs sensors which can assess the health and welfare of its airframe, coordinates precise launch and landing, as well as provide contact charging between missions. The port is drone agnostic, able to accommodate many current and future sUAV designs. This port/drone solution can be utilized in a number of industries, including emergency response. UAVs are charged, monitored, and kept protected in strategic locations around the service area (police station, fire station, 911 center), then deployed remotely by dispatchers, sending visuals and detecting hazardous gases from the incident scene before the arrival of first responders.
“The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and organizations who have applied unmanned systems technology to create solutions to address a range of challenges affecting business and society,” said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “AUVSI is pleased to recognize these finalists for their perseverance and dedication to turn dreams into reality.”
XPONENTIAL offers a broad-based and balanced educational program brimming with cutting-edge content and inspirational insights, ranging from policy implications and technical challenges to use cases and best practices across vertical markets and everything in between. The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards honor innovators in the unmanned systems industry, including individuals and organizations, with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of unmanned systems, and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve the human condition.
“We would like to thank AUVSI and the judges for recognizing us as a finalist for this award,” FIRST iZ founder, Phil Burks added, “It is truly an honor to have made it to this stage, and I am so proud of the FIRST Port team for their innovation and hard work. FIRST Port is one of the first of its kind, and we predict its lasting impact far into the future.”
For media registration for XPONENTIAL, contact Tom McMahon at [email protected]. For more information about XPONENTIAL and the AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards, visit xponential.org.
About FIRST iZ
FIRST iZ is a Phirst Technologies, LLC company. FIRST iZ and its manufacturing partners are proudly based in the United States of America. For more information, visit firstiz.com.
About AUVSI
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)—the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics—represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. For more information, visit AUVSI.org.
About XPONENTIAL
AUVSI XPONENTIAL is the largest, most significant event for the unmanned systems industry. The 2020 exhibit hall will showcase hundreds of cutting-edge companies from around the world and the conference will feature educational programming by unmanned systems experts, providing information about the future of policy, technology and business solutions and trending topics.
