The UNICEF Innovation Fund is seeking make $100,000 equity-free investments in technology startups that plan to use drones to benefit humanity.   “If you’ve got a start-up registered in one ofUNICEF’s program countries and have a working, open-source drone prototype or service (or you are willing to make it open-source) showing promising results, the UNICEF Innovation Fund is looking for you,” the fund says on its website.   The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 22. UNICEF is seeking software to collect and share data, manage flight and delivery operations, unmanned traffic management systems and business models for sustainable drone services, among other needs.  

In Lennox Head, New South Wales, Australia, lifeguards from the Australian Lifeguard Service were preparing for a training session to familiarize themselves with UAS equipment when a call came in about two distressed swimmers. Approximately a kilometer north of the patrolled area, two men were swimming in powerful surf conditions, when someone noticed that they were having difficulty in the three meter swell. ​At the time, lifeguard Supervisor Jai Sheridan was piloting a Westpac Little Ripper UAS, so he immediately responded, and within minutes of the initial alert, located the swimmers.