HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Soldiers of the Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division snagged the award for Best Innovation at the U.S. Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, Alabama, this week for inventing a drone that uses a claw to retrieve downed drones.
Project RED, which stands for Recovery Exploitation Drone, is built to fly over and inspect downed unmanned aircraft systems. The system uses artificial intelligence software to discern the difference between friendly and enemy drones. Using a robotic arm with a claw, it can pick up a fallen drone and transport it to troops for evaluation or repair.
The unit, part of the Pennsylvania National Guard, built the robotic arm using 3D printing. It is made of carbon fiber, and can easily be replicated…