NASA Awards Moroccan Team ‘Eagle AI’ Project at Space App Challenge

The Moroccan team’s “Eagle AI” concept was recognized by NASA as one of ten global winners of the agency’s International Space App Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to encourage the next generation of scientists, technologists, designers, storytellers, and engineers to grow and be diverse.

The Moroccan team received the ‘Global Connection’ award for building an artificial intelligence-powered tracking device that can detect, identify, quantify, and track ocean trash autonomously. The research will be able to track and forecast the migration of ocean plastic as accurately as feasible.
Salaheddine Kaba, Aymane Abouliz, and Mouhcine Mitallan, members of the Moroccan team, indicated that their project intends to investigate all elements and triggers that cause plastic trash to migrate in order to forecast the course of plastic pollution.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is an international hackathon that takes place in locations all over the world and brings together coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, technologists, and others. Teams use free and open data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to solve real-world problems on Earth and in space. It’s being put on in partnership with NASA’s Open Innovation Applied Sciences Program.
Every year, for 48 hours, teams from all over the world gather in the world’s largest international hackathon to address real-world problems and challenges posed by NASA staff. Experts from the space agency review and evaluate the produced projects before announcing the top ten global winners.
Over 4,500 teams competed for a spot among the ten global winners in this year’s edition, which was themed “The Power of Ten” in honor of the annual event’s tenth anniversary.
The artificial intelligence initiative of the Moroccan team is thought to have a significant future impact on the fight against plastic pollution. One of the most prevalent dangers to the health of coastal areas, oceans, and waterways is marine trash.
The winning team will be flown to the United States for a winners trip, which will include a chance to observe a spacecraft launch at a NASA site.