The Rescue Pack Team is a student-led group within NC State’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering advised by Dr. Farhan Gandhi, who are competing on a national stage at GoAERO to design and build an autonomous emergency response octocopter. The goal is to ultimately design a flyer that can help emergency responders overcome challenges like gridlocked traffic, vast rivers, forest fires and more to deliver critical supplies or reach people. After advancing as one of only eight winning teams nationwide to stage 2 of the competition, the seven-student team is now manufacturing a full-scale 600-650 lb aircraft entirely in-house for stage 3. While the baseline materials for the physical frame of the aircraft have been acquired, additional resources and testing is needed to ensure a competition-ready flyer, like:

• Battery packs to keep the aircraft in the air and maximize ferried materials without the vehicle losing power mid-run
• Advanced sensors and high-quality cameras to improve flight safety, giving student operators the ability to navigate complex emergency simulations
• Back-up materials for major component failure or damage, and other materials/testing.