The power of flight, and the power of observation. These two qualities make drones incredibly good for reconnaissance, especially in places where it’s difficult to put a human, or a permanent closed-circuit camera. Designed for site-recon for buildings under construction, the SiteWasp was built to be your all-in-one monitoring drone. “The objective of the SiteWasp drone is to remotely provide stakeholders with construction updates, thus unifying the planning process and the building process. This 3D drone system scans, measures, analyses, and documents with high-resolution images the current state and process of construction. It uses the digital BIM (Building Information Model) so that all remote stakeholders can react directly to crucial errors and differences, which leads to a more synchronized and efficient workflow.” Made to do a better job than a construction supervisor, and in less time, the SiteWasp can complete an entire recon in a matter of hours, whereas it would take a human days to complete an exhaustive check of the building and its progress. Built to do the job well, this quad-copter comes with a circular body and a camera that can rotate as much as 200° on this circular axis, which enables direct scans of both horizontal and vertical surfaces—all done without changing its position. The SiteWasp can also cover areas that are especially difficult for manual measuring like elevator tunnels. The SiteWasp’s design is especially appropriate for the kind of activity it’s required to do. It makes the use of high-contrast colors so that it’s visible to the people around it, and even employs a robust mesh around its rotors to prevent any falling debris from damaging the drone while it’s in flight. The SiteWasp received an Honorable Mention at the for the year 2018. Designer: Sebastian Gier