$10M XPRIZE Rainforest Finalists: Drones Revolutionize Biodiversity Conservation

Matthew Spenko, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, is leading his team into the finals of the prestigious XPRIZE Rainforest competition—a global five-year, $10 million contest designed to enhance our understanding of tropical rainforest ecosystems around the world. The team’s innovative approach involves delivering and retrieving sensor packages to the rainforest and 3D mapping the rainforest seamlessly using drones.