Crowdfunding Helps Student Disaster Relief UAV Project Soar

September 22, 2025 njbarnar 2-min. read

NC State REACHR team poses for a photo with the UAV they built using crowdfunding. They are outside wearing red shirts and standing behind a table on which the red UAV is resting.

Earlier this year, Associate Teaching Professor Felix Ewere and his students won a University Student Research Challenge grant from NASA to build a new version of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) they are developing to aid hurricane relief efforts.

But to receive the full funding, they needed to demonstrate community support through cost-sharing for their project — called the Reconnaissance and Emergency Aircraft for Critical Hurricane Relief, or REACHR — as part of the grant’s entrepreneurship requirements.

So Ewere reached out to NC State crowdfunding.

REACHR team member manually launches the UAV.

Their goal? Raise $2,000 for components and testing costs to build HERO 2, which can locate, communicate with and deliver critical supplies to stranded individuals in the wake of natural disasters.

The team flew past that goal, raising $3,900 from 33 donors, in addition to unlocking the $40,000 NASA grant they needed.

Crowdfunding projects like this one require a faculty or staff liaison and small group of volunteers to share the campaign among their peers. The REACHR team shared the campaign and raised the money, and the College of Engineering’s advancement team provided logistical support, social media tools and email marketing to a group of MAE alumni.

“Crowdfunding was very impactful,” said Ewere, who is the principal investigator for the project. “It increased the visibility of the REACHR project, which has been very encouraging.”

REACHR started with a senior design project led by Tobias Hullette ‘24, who is now project manager. Hullette and his team made HERO 1, which won “Most Innovative Concept” at NASA’s 2024 Gateway to Blue Skies Competition.

HERO 2 builds on the success of its predecessor, HERO 1, by integrating high-resolution imaging, infrared sensors and real-time data transmission. This enhances the ability for the drone pilot to know what’s happening on the ground in addition to allowing for faster response times.

REACHR UAV flying above in clear blue sky.

HERO 2 uses hybrid-electric power to maximize endurance and maintain operational flexibility over sky, sea and land. It is also capable of delivering emergency supplies. By reducing response times, expanding accessibility and enhancing disaster relief coordination, REACHR is setting a new standard in emergency response.

The REACHR team will run initial testing on Ocracoke Island on the North Carolina coast in collaboration with FEMA and emergency management agencies.

“The College of Engineering’s advancement team was very professional,” Ewere said. “The entire process was seamless and their coordination of the entire process was excellent.”

Onboard image of REACHR UAV landing in a lake.

The college’s advancement team accepts applications for campaigns on a rolling basis. Interested faculty and staff can submit projects using this interest form.

For more information about future campaigns and how to support them, please contact Andrea Carvalho, assistant director of annual giving, at [email protected].