Livestreaming the First Responder UAS Triple Challenge.

MTI Cameraman Sean Chadwick focuses on the computer screen showing Rebekah Yang's coding action while Caitlin Windland narrates.

MTI Cameraman Sean Chadwick focuses on the computer screen showing Rebekah Yang’s coding action while Caitlin Windland narrates.

MTI was on hand to record the winning team in the First Responder UAS Triple Challenge, a prize competition for drone enthusiasts designed to create more unmanned devices that can better help first responders in a variety of emergency situations. Sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s Public Safety Communications Research Division and Kansas State Salina and Mississippi State University, the $40,000 first prize went to Team AMAV from the University of Maryland. Team AMAV also won the First Responders’ Choice Award of $5,000.

Originally, the shoot was to occur on a different day and location in Maryland, but weather conditions forced a change–to the home of one of the team members, Riley Dove. Because of the change, several members of the team could not be on site for the actual competition, but Dove, Caitlin Windland, and Rebekah Yang led the demonstration while the MTI team captured the process. Dove launched the drone; Yang handled the remote coding, and Windland narrated what the team’s new technology was doing. Being open to last-minute change of plans is always the best plan.

It takes a lot of laptops to keep this production flying: Director Ben Wong and Streaming Tech Anni Wong at the controls.

It takes a lot of laptops to keep this production flying: Director Ben Wong and Streaming Tech Anni Wong at the controls.

Director Ben Wong and S