Students earn national victory with wildfire response drone

A student design team from the Faculty of Engineering has earned top honours at a national competition focused on advancing drone-based emergency response.

Waterloo’s Aerial Robotics Group (WARG) captured first place at the 2025 National Student Unmanned Aircraft Systems Competition in Medicine Hat, Alberta, with a custom-built autonomous aircraft designed for wildfire surveillance and support. WARG’s system stood out for its comprehensive wildfire response strategy, including real-time decision-making, terrain mapping and autonomous beacon detection.

The annual competition, hosted by the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada (AEAC), challenged 15 university teams to engineer and demonstrate an uncrewed aerial system capable of supporting wildfire mitigation and search-and-rescue operations. Over three days, participants completed mission segments simulating real-world emergency scenarios, including autonomous takeoff and fire zone mapping.

WARG’s entry, Project Pegasus, was a fully redesigned platform that emphasized flight autonomy, robust performance, and operational reliability. Over the past year, the team enhanced the drone’s hardware and software to meet demanding technical requirements. At the event, Pegasus flew successfully in all mission components, securing Waterloo’s second consecutive first-place finish.

“The win reflects the team’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of aerial robotics while tackling urgent challenges like wildfires,” said Georgia Vachon Westerlund, a fourth-year mechatronics student and WARG’s executive director. “We’re grateful for support from the Sedra Student Design Centre and the Faculty of Engineering, which enabled us to gain this hands-on experience and pursue our ambitious ideas.”

Hosted at Medicine Hat College and the Medicine RC’ers Club, the competition drew national media attention for its focus on environmental resilience and applied engineering.