Northrop Grumman held its Quad Cup event last week, which saw a number of employees and staff members competitively fly small quadcopters before a crowd of more than 1,600 people.

The Quad Cup event, which took place at the University of California San Diego’s Recreation, IntraMural and Athletic Complex Arena, served as an employee challenge to cultivate and formulate new technological advances in the field. Each UAS was uniquely designed by each team for the competition.

During a duration of six months, 17 teams competed to make the four team final. Last week during the final, a team called Slyther1NG emerged victorious. After the event, the leader of Slyther1NG explained why they were successful during the games.

“We didn’t win by magic,” said Noah Snyder. “We won by developing new technology through math and science and by fostering the creativity that exists inside every member of our team. I hope we also inspired young, aspiring technologists in the audience along the way.”

The goal of the game is to score points by passing and shooting a ball through an opposing team’s goals, similar to the rules of basketball. Each UAS included a high-power cannon to shoot the ball through the goal at approximately 150 mph, as well as a common navigation system that reads computer-generated codes on the arena floor.

Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Tom Vice, spoke to the inventiveness of the event and how it can shape the company going forward.

“Innovation is in our DNA,” said Vice. “The Quad Cup exemplifies our restless spirit to create awesome technology that pushes the boundaries of the possible.”

For video of the event, visit this link.

<< Back to the News