Our mission
To provide immediate, low-cost situational awareness in places where humans, animals, and robots cannot safely go first. We do this by: designing systems that can be thrown, not deployed; prioritizing availability over elegance; accepting loss of hardware to reduce loss of life
Our challenge
When buildings collapse, rescuers enter blind; no visibility, no map, no way to know where survivors are trapped. Existing tools like drones, dogs, and robots are too slow, too expensive, or physically unable to reach deep into rubble. Every minute of uncertainty costs lives.
Our solution
URelay is a pack of ultra-cheap, throwable sensor beacons that self-network inside rubble to detect heat, sound, and motion. Within minutes, they build a live topological map on a handheld tablet; giving rescue teams actionable awareness before anyone enters the debris.
We believe the same engineering that builds racecars should also save lives. URelay is our answer to a world where technology reaches everywhere except where people need it most, under the rubble.
Team
Luka Brandsema
Pranati Porwal
Irem Akbilgic