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 Our team is dedicated to discouraging the use of autonomous weapons and promote positive uses of autonomous technology. Autonomous weapons pose significant ethical and societal risks, including lowering the threshold to war, negatively impacting our relationship with technology, and contributing to digital dehumanization. Our goal was to address these issues by demonstrating a positive and constructive use of autonomous technology. To address these issues, our team repurposed a DJI RoboMaster S1 into what we believe could be life saving technology. Originally designed with a turret and combat functions, we turned the Robomaster into a humanitarian aid and search-and-rescue robot.

The redesigned robot is programmed to navigate post-disaster environments autonomously,
using object-avoidance algorithms to safely explore hazardous areas. When the robot 
detects a person—simulated by a leaf tag symbol—it sends their GPS coordinates to a 
rescue team, facilitating faster and more effective search and rescue operations. 

This project highlighted how autonomous technology can be redirected from military
applications toward saving lives and improving human well-being. By showcasing the
RoboMaster S1’s transformation from a combat-focused platform to a life-saving tool,
we aimed to challenge the normalization of autonomous weapons and promote the ethical
use of AI in humanitarian efforts. 

 Our team: