Drone Reveal 2026!
Last week, on Thursday, we hosted this year’s Drone Reveal, one of our favorite events of the year where we finally get to show what we’ve been working on behind the scenes.
The evening kicked off with mingling, catching up, and a lot of excitement in the room. We were joined by partners, alumni, friends of Ascend, and of course the team itself. It’s always something special seeing so many people gathered for the same reason.
Once everyone had settled in, our team leader Christoffer Wandem took the stage and gave a speech reflecting on the year so far. We also had the pleasure of hearing from Kongsberg, who shared a few words with us.
After a short break with refreshments, things got a bit more technical. The audience was introduced to this year’s mission, before we got to the moment everyone had been waiting for…
The drone reveal.
After that, all the groups took the stage to present what they’ve been working on throughout the year. We wrapped up the evening with cake, conversations, and a lot of proud team members of Team 26.
Four Drones. One Mission.
This year, Ascend is taking on IARC Mission 10: “Escape through the minefield.” The mission challenges us to create a lightweight swarm of four drones, each under 453 grams, capable of surveying a simulated minefield, mapping safe passage, and demonstrating intelligent autonomous flight, all within seven minutes.
Mission 10 is about far more than flight alone. It combines perception, autonomy, hardware, and control into one integrated system designed to solve a real-world inspired challenge: finding safe paths through dangerous terrain.
The Drone Reveal
With the mission set, Team 26 officially unveiled this year’s drone system.
Built as a coordinated four-drone swarm, this platform represents countless hours of development across every part of Ascend. Designed to fit inside a backpack while still delivering advanced sensing, communication, and autonomy, this year’s drones symbolize both technical precision and the collaborative spirit that defines Ascend.
The groups behind Team 26
After the reveal, each group took the stage to show how their team has been working during this last year, and how they have been working with the drones.
Hardware
Hardware presented the physical backbone of the drone system: a lightweight yet stiff frame, in-house battery production, custom power distribution boards, flexible mechanical layouts, and an optimized propulsion system. Team 26’s drone weighs in at just 405 grams, with a flight duration of 9 minutes and a top speed of 12 m/s.
Control
Control focused on the systems that connect everything together: inter-drone Wi-Fi communication, RTK GPS for centimetre-accurate positioning, DevOps infrastructure, a custom ground station, and the operator app that ties the swarm together into one coherent mission-ready platform.
Perception
Perception showcased the drone’s ability to understand the environment through mine detection pipelines, machine learning detectors, AprilTag verification, obstacle detection, and precise mine mapping. Their work transforms raw sensor data into actionable mission intelligence
Autonomy
Autonomy presented the intelligence behind the mission: navigation, obstacle avoidance, path planning, mission coordination, finite state machines, and simulation systems. Their work ensures the drones can not only fly, but think, adapt, and complete the mission effectively.
Marketing
The Marketing team presented their work on visual content and outreach.
This includes upgraded portrait photography, high-quality renders, increased activity on social media and blog platforms, and the production of this year’s drone reveal video.
Business
Business rounded out the evening by presenting their feats this year. They were responsible for planning and executing the Drone Reveal event, securing record levels of financial support, maintaining partner relationships, and representing Ascend at conferences and events.
A huge thank you to everyone who came, supported us, and helped make the evening what it was. Seeing so many people show up for something we’ve spent the whole year working on really means a lot.
Now, with the drones revealed, it’s time to get back to work. Mission 10 is waiting, and we’re excited to take it on.
