AUS' Shaheen project helps rescue people lost in desert

When someone goes missing in the desert, every minute can mean the difference between life and death. That urgency inspired a group of American University of Sharjah (AUS) students to develop Shaheen, a senior design project that equips drones with the ability to spot lost individuals and alert rescuers in real time.

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Their innovation has just earned second place at Dell Technologies' 2024-2025 Envision the Future competition, which attracted 259 projects from 14 countries across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

The name Shaheen comes from the falcon admired in the UAE for its speed, sharp vision and precision. Just as the falcon is able to spot its target from great distances, the device, when attached to a drone, can scan wide stretches of desert with accuracy and agility, giving rescuers precious time when lives are at risk.

Shaheen was developed by computer engineering students Yousef Irshaid, Malik Hader and Adham Elmosalamy along with computer science student Ahmad Alsaleh, under the supervision of Dr. Mohamed Alhajri, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering.

Their work Shaheen was recognized in May 2025, when the AUS Department of Computer Science and Engineering (computer engineering program) awarded the project first place in its Senior Design Projects competition for the Academic Year 2024-2025.