IoT Challenge 2025: Drone Tech — The Future of Unmanned Technologies Through the Eyes of Students
On June 25–26, 2025, the final stage of IoT Challenge 2025: Drone Tech took place in Lviv — a nationwide student competition that brings together engineering, innovation, and young talent. The event was initiated and organized by Indeema Software, a company specializing in the development of global IoT solutions.
Now in its third year, the competition reached new heights in 2025:
- It became a nationwide initiative
- It was entirely dedicated to drone technologies, radio electronics, and communications
- It was joined for the first time by a new partner — Tykho Electronics, a company developing electronics for unmanned systems
The event was hosted at the IoT Lab, a modern laboratory based at the Department of Radiophysics and Computer Technologies at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, where participants had access to all necessary resources for presenting their projects.
IoT Challenge 2025: Future Technologies in Action
Ten teams from different Ukrainian cities were selected to participate in the final stage. Over several weeks, they worked on developing functional prototypes in areas such as autonomous navigation, data processing, communications, and object recognition.
«Collaboration with universities is an important part of Indeema’s social responsibility. This year, we were pleased to welcome our partners from Tykho, who provided flight controllers and other components. Thanks to their support, students were able to bring their ideas to life using modern electronics made in Ukraine,» commented Dr. Ivan Karbovnyk, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Department of Radiophysics and Computer Technologies at the Faculty of Electronics and Computer Technologies of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and Chair of the competition jury.
The organizers equipped each team with hardware tailored to their project needs — including controllers, sensors, cameras, communication modules, GPS, LiDAR, and more — allowing them to work with cutting-edge technology.
Tykho Electronics played a key role in the technical setup, providing flight controllers and Tykho Krut ESCs — specialized components developed in Ukraine and integrated directly into the student prototypes.
This hands-on format allowed teams to build fully functional prototypes, test them in realistic conditions, and refine their solutions before the final pitch.
Winners of IoT Challenge 2025
The final projects demonstrated a high level of technical thinking and engineering ambition:
- 1st Place — Cicadas
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
Developed an autonomous drone for territory patrol with real-time object recognition, powered by GPS and video analytics.
«First of all, we’d like to thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for making events like this possible in such difficult times. We’re truly grateful for this well-organized challenge — it was a real test and, at the same time, a great opportunity to go beyond theory and work as a team on a real-world idea. For us, IoT Drone Challenge was not just a competition but a platform for turning ideas into reality and connecting with like-minded students from all over Ukraine. We gained not only experience but also new contacts, inspiration, and the confidence that our ideas can work in practice.»
Bohdan Stetskiv & Yurii Zborivskyi, team Cicadas.
- 2nd Place — Sofa Engineers
Odesa Polytechnic National University
Created a fixed-wing UAV capable of detecting and automatically locking onto airborne targets in both visible and infrared spectrums — a bold step toward defense-oriented engineering. - 3rd Place — Roboforge
Zaporizhzhia National University
Developed an autopilot system that enables a drone to automatically land on a designated platform — intelligent navigation for next-gen UAVs.
IoT Challenge 2025: Drone Tech proved that Ukraine has a generation of young people capable of developing complex technological solutions — and that there are companies ready to support them along the way.
For Indeema Software, supporting student initiatives is more than just a competition. It is a continuation of the company’s mission — «Engineer the Things of Tomorrow» — creating technologies that serve the future.
About Indeema
For over ten years, Indeema has been developing complex IoT solutions for the global market, combining deep expertise in both hardware and software.
The company’s projects are transforming entire industries — from energy to smart home and smart city solutions, and especially in the field of drone technologies.
Participation in initiatives like IoT Challenge allows Indeema not only to share its knowledge but also to actively shape the market of the future — by supporting a new generation of engineers capable of turning ideas into real, impactful technologies.
IoT Challenge 2025: Drone Tech — The Future of Unmanned Technologies Through the Eyes of Students
On June 25–26, 2025, the final stage of IoT Challenge 2025: Drone Tech took place in Lviv — a nationwide student competition that brings together engineering, innovation, and young talent. The event was initiated and organized by Indeema Software, a company specializing in the development of global IoT solutions.
Now in its third year, the competition reached new heights in 2025:
- It became a nationwide initiative
- It was entirely dedicated to drone technologies, radio electronics, and communications
- It was joined for the first time by a new partner — Tykho Electronics, a company developing electronics for unmanned systems
The event was hosted at the IoT Lab, a modern laboratory based at the Department of Radiophysics and Computer Technologies at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, where participants had access to all necessary resources for presenting their projects.
IoT Challenge 2025: Future Technologies in Action
Ten teams from different Ukrainian cities were selected to participate in the final stage. Over several weeks, they worked on developing functional prototypes in areas such as autonomous navigation, data processing, communications, and object recognition.
«Collaboration with universities is an important part of Indeema’s social responsibility. This year, we were pleased to welcome our partners from Tykho, who provided flight controllers and other components. Thanks to their support, students were able to bring their ideas to life using modern electronics made in Ukraine,» commented Dr. Ivan Karbovnyk, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Department of Radiophysics and Computer Technologies at the Faculty of Electronics and Computer Technologies of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and Chair of the competition jury.
The organizers equipped each team with hardware tailored to their project needs — including controllers, sensors, cameras, communication modules, GPS, LiDAR, and more — allowing them to work with cutting-edge technology.
Tykho Electronics played a key role in the technical setup, providing flight controllers and Tykho Krut ESCs — specialized components developed in Ukraine and integrated directly into the student prototypes.
This hands-on format allowed teams to build fully functional prototypes, test them in realistic conditions, and refine their solutions before the final pitch.
Winners of IoT Challenge 2025
The final projects demonstrated a high level of technical thinking and engineering ambition:
- 1st Place — Cicadas
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
Developed an autonomous drone for territory patrol with real-time object recognition, powered by GPS and video analytics.
«First of all, we’d like to thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for making events like this possible in such difficult times. We’re truly grateful for this well-organized challenge — it was a real test and, at the same time, a great opportunity to go beyond theory and work as a team on a real-world idea. For us, IoT Drone Challenge was not just a competition but a platform for turning ideas into reality and connecting with like-minded students from all over Ukraine. We gained not only experience but also new contacts, inspiration, and the confidence that our ideas can work in practice.»
Bohdan Stetskiv & Yurii Zborivskyi, team Cicadas.
- 2nd Place — Sofa Engineers
Odesa Polytechnic National University
Created a fixed-wing UAV capable of detecting and automatically locking onto airborne targets in both visible and infrared spectrums — a bold step toward defense-oriented engineering. - 3rd Place — Roboforge
Zaporizhzhia National University
Developed an autopilot system that enables a drone to automatically land on a designated platform — intelligent navigation for next-gen UAVs.
IoT Challenge 2025: Drone Tech proved that Ukraine has a generation of young people capable of developing complex technological solutions — and that there are companies ready to support them along the way.
For Indeema Software, supporting student initiatives is more than just a competition. It is a continuation of the company’s mission — «Engineer the Things of Tomorrow» — creating technologies that serve the future.
About Indeema
For over ten years, Indeema has been developing complex IoT solutions for the global market, combining deep expertise in both hardware and software.
The company’s projects are transforming entire industries — from energy to smart home and smart city solutions, and especially in the field of drone technologies.
Participation in initiatives like IoT Challenge allows Indeema not only to share its knowledge but also to actively shape the market of the future — by supporting a new generation of engineers capable of turning ideas into real, impactful technologies.
