Krypto Labs, the global innovation hub based in Abu Dhabi, has announced the shortlisted teams from Phase II and the opening of Phase III of Drone X Challenge (DXC) 2020, the global US$1.5+ million challenge that is pushing the frontiers of drone development focusing on transportation and delivery.

The shortlisted teams from Phase II, where applicants were required to develop an MVP capable of achieving the minimum endurance and payload as per the category they were applying to, are automatically qualified to participate in Phase III, the final stage of the challenge set to award US$1 million in prizes.

During this second phase of the challenge, Krypto Labs received a total of 495 applications from 50 countries, with the final shortlist including ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) from Taiwan, Weslax from Germany, Richen Power and Autoflight from China, Vulcan UAV from the United Kingdom, Forward Robotics and UAVita Systems from Canada, LAUREN (Tecnalia Electric Aircraft Lab) from Spain, and Avimech International Aircraft Inc from the USA.

Companies that want to apply for Phase III will have to demonstrate the utilization of a drone in an innovative commercial application while satisfying all the specifications of the chosen category. The finalists will be flown to Abu Dhabi to compete for the final grand prizes of US$1 million during a drone summit organized by Krypto Labs on Q4 of 2020.

Commenting on the launch of the final phase of the challenge, Dr. Saleh Al Hashemi, Managing Director of Krypto Labs, said, “Drones have the potential to disrupt major industries and our very notion of delivery transportation. By producing drones that carry heavy payloads, we can truly revolutionize the means of traditional and current transportation systemsAt Krypto Labs, we assist transformational entrepreneurship, which represents disruptive invention at its finest. Through DXC 2020, we are pushing the frontiers of drone innovation, and we are getting closer to realizing our goal as we embark on the final phase by the end of this year. In the region, the UAE is leading the drone market, and we are proud to be contributing to the UAE’s ecosystem by encouraging startups to reach new horizons, where the limits are endless, and their products can make an impact that is bound to change the way we go about our daily lives.”

Applications for Phase III are open until July 15, 2020. For more information about Drone X Challenge (DXC) 2020, please visit https://dronexchallenge2020.com/