Robohub.org
Flying Donkey Challenge
Sadly, the Flying Donkey Challenge was put on hold indefinitely. See details here.
Will we see flying donkeys racing around Mount Kenya with 20 kilo payloads in 2020? The dream of lifting Africa will come one step closer when the 2014 preliminary “Flying Donkey Challenge” takes place in Kenya in November, but entries, including grant applications, close on February 28.
The Flying Donkey Challenge is a project of the La Fondation Bundi, a non-profit initiative of the Afrotech project at EPFL, the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, and the NCCR, the Swiss National Center of Competence for Research in Robotics.
The foundation seeks to pioneer a new transportation system for the world by developing robots with rugged air frames capable of safe and cheap unmanned flight of heavy cargo over long distances. We call these robots flying donkeys.
La Fondation Bundi is committed to promoting an African designed and assembled flying donkey industry capable of improving the transport infrastructure in areas without good roads. The goal of the foundation is to have tens of thousands of flying donkeys operational within a generation.
There are various technical, legal, logistical and design issues facing challengers and the foundation has broken the Flying Donkey Challenge into subchallenges. Teams may win large cash prizes for the best solutions across the range of subchallenges. Some of the subchallenges are:
- Precision take off and landing
- GPS denied navigation
- Sense and avoid
- Cargo delivery
- FD business plan competition
- FD legal paper competition tba
- FD logistics paper competition tba
Amazon better look to Africa because the first commercial drone deliveries look like coming from Flying Donkeys not UPS delivery drones.
tags: c-Events
Andra Keay
is the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Robotics, founder of Women in Robotics and is a mentor, investor and advisor to startups, accelerators and think tanks, with a strong interest in commercializing socially positive robotics and AI.
Andra Keay
is the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Robotics, founder of Women in Robotics and is a mentor, investor and advisor to startups, accelerators and think tanks, with a strong interest in commercializing socially positive robotics and AI.
Related posts :
Robot Talk Episode 129 – Automating museum experiments, with Yuen Ting Chan
Robot Talk
17 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Yuen Ting Chan from Natural History Museum about using robots to automate molecular biology experiments.
What’s coming up at #IROS2025?
Lucy Smith
15 Oct 2025
Find out what the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems has in store.
From sea to space, this robot is on a roll
Texas A&M University
13 Oct 2025
Graduate students in the aptly named "RAD Lab" are working to improve RoboBall, the robot in an airbag.
Robot Talk Episode 128 – Making microrobots move, with Ali K. Hoshiar
Robot Talk
10 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Ali K. Hoshiar from University of Essex about how microrobots move and work together.
Interview with Zahra Ghorrati: developing frameworks for human activity recognition using wearable sensors
Lucy Smith and AIhub
08 Oct 2025
Zahra tells us more about her research on wearable technology.
Women in robotics you need to know about 2025
Women In Robotics
06 Oct 2025
This global list celebrates women's impact across the robotics ecosystem and globe.
Robot Talk Episode 127 – Robots exploring other planets, with Frances Zhu
Robot Talk
03 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Frances Zhu from the Colorado School of Mines about intelligent robotic systems for space exploration.
Mars rovers serve as scientists’ eyes and ears from millions of miles away – here are the tools Perseverance used to spot a potential sign of anci
The Conversation
02 Oct 2025
How do scientists engage with rover data and use robots such as Perseverance?
