• Haus der Statistik - Werkstatt (map)
  • 1 Karl-Marx-Allee
  • Berlin, 10178
  • Germany
searchwing meet-up

Language: English
Free Admission - Registration is mandatory

Following our 26th Conference THE KILL CLOUD (25-27 March) we are hosting a follow-up meetup in collaboration with SearchWing. SearchWing develops and builds unmanned aerial vehicles to find people in distress at sea.

About Searchwing

Everyday people flee war, persecution and poverty and are looking for a place of safety. On their journey they have to cross the sea such as the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. While crossing the sea they are in great danger. NGOs like Sea-Watch e.V., Sea-Eye e.V or Open Arms do search and resuce at sea.

The SearchWing project develops unmanned aerial vehicles and systems to help these organizations improve the search and rescue efforts at sea. The automatic SearchWing UAV is equipped with two cameras and can cover an area of 100 square kilometers at an altitude of 550 meter. The UAS has already completed several trial runs in the Mediterranean Sea, and in December 2021 it was used during an actual mission near the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

SearchWing helps all humans in distress regardless of origin, nationality, religious or political believes. They support the request for safe and legal pathways and support the request to establish a European search and rescue organisation.

Twitter @srchwng

Matthias Monroy

Knowledge worker, activist, editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP. First in touch with military and police repression in the early 90’s. Focussing on policing in the European Union, migration control, undercover cops, internet monitoring, surveillance and interception technologies, police gadgets, satellite intelligence, drones. Publishing in left-wing newspapers, online-media and netzpolitik.org.

During the meet-up

  • We will start with a general introduction to the situation in the Mediterranean Sea and SearchWing's activities

  • An introduction about the use of drones by Frontex and EMSA in the context of border control by Matthias Monroy, giving an overview about the situation in the Mediterranean Sea.

  • The second half of the presentation will give an overview about the SearchWing's UAV/UAS and show how SearchWing builds a UAV with off the shelf components and free software.

  • After a Q&A and discussion session participants have the chance to take a closer look at the UAVs and the software system such as the boat detection system.

The meetup is part of Disruption Network Lab's all year round community programme