UTS wins innovation award for search and rescue technology

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has announced its winners for the 2024 iAwards, an event which recognises and rewards Australian innovations.

The Aerial Search and Rescue System (ASARS), developed by the University of Technology Sydney, has proudly taken home two awards from the ceremony. The project was deemed the winner of the Government and Public Sector category, as well as a merit award in the Not-for-Profit and Community category.

The Aerial Search and Rescue System is an initiative that aims to enhance search and rescue operations in Vietnam during national disasters. Vietnam is increasingly affected by natural disasters including landslides, floods and maritime emergencies. The ASARS uses the latest developments in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence (AI) and remote sensing technology to make search and rescue initiatives safer and more effective.

The ASARS is the world’s first pre and post disaster surveillance and rescue system developed by UTS, achieving a remarkable 90% accuracy in detecting target objects. This drastically surpasses the accuracy of traditional aerial surveillance methods.

This year’s iAwards theme, ‘Shaping our Future’, acknowledged innovations that have the potential to create lasting positive change on a local, national or global scale. 

The finalists and winners show the diversity of innovation occurring across the economy and how technology can solve both economic and societal issues. The winners and merit recipients of the 2024 iAwards continue to reflect the immense talent in Australia’s ICT sector.

Simon Bush, CEO of Australian Information Industry Association. 

The UTS ASARS team will now be competing in the National iAwards in August, 2024.