10 Teams Received 449k in Prize Money to Support Continued Development of Life-Saving Solutions
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (October 31, 2022) — The FRST Challenge, an innovation challenge bringing together technical teams and first responders to create solutions for providing precise location details of first responders inside a structure, announced its Phase Three Prize Winners. Submissions were evaluated by a team of expert judges to determine the 10 recipients of the $449,000 total prize purse for Phase Three.
“Phase Three submissions confirmed that competitors are developing viable technology on a path to saving first responder lives,” said Sonny Kirkley, FRST project director. “The submitted data demonstrated that solutions are becoming increasingly accurate and full of potential; therefore, the solution field continues to competitively narrow. We’re eager to see the solutions in person with Phase Four submission.”
Competing teams have brought together individuals with backgrounds in academia, technology, entrepreneurship, students, and more. Each team includes a variety of technical and design skills, as well as a First Responder mentor. The winning teams include:
- Banc3
- Ravenswood
- Navigate IO (TrackIO)
- Charli
- Team ZOT <1M
- Rescunomics
- Smart Firefighting
- BC / Sysnav
- Epic Blue Dot
- AdaptiTrace
Led by the Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab in the Pervasive Technology Institute at Indiana University, and funded by an $8 million cooperative agreement from the Public Safety Communications Research Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the challenge formally launched on March 1 with Phase Three submissions submitted on October 3rd.
Phase Three submissions were intended to validate solution designs. Required deliverables for Phase Three included a complete system design, benchmark data of performance including sensor data, and a video demonstration of the system in action.
Phase Four submissions will include live field testing at the MUTC facility from March 27 – 31, 2023. The Phase Four Kickoff Webinar will take place November 8th at 1:00pm EST. Office hours and support webinars will take place weekly to support teams in their continued solution development.
An additional special competition to drive the development of specific technology that teams may use will take place in parallel to Phase Four. Special competition winners will contribute to first responder safety solutions and receive compensation for use of their technology. More information can be found at
The FRST Challenge will conclude in October 2023 with advanced live field testing. Prize money will be awarded in each phase of the competition with a total of $5.6 million in prize funds awarded across five phases of the competition.
Visit frstchallenge.com to learn more about the Phase Three winners.
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About the Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab
The Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab is a collaboration between the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering and University Information Technology Services, and is housed in the Pervasive Technology Institute at Indiana University. The lab’s mission is to research and develop practical, efficient, effective, and equitable technologies and solutions to improve readiness and scale response to crises and disasters.
About the Pervasive Technology Institute
The Pervasive Technology Institute at Indiana University is a collaborative organization designed to marshal IU’s computational experts and resources quickly in response to societal, research, and educational needs. In partnership with University Information Technology Services, the Pervasive Technology Institute also led the original Jetstream award. The institute was established in 1999 by a grant from the Lilly Endowment and has continued to lead productive uses and applications of research technologies for over 20 years.
About University Information Technology Services
University Information Technology Services is part of the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for Indiana University. It provides services across all IU campuses to support the university’s mission.