Team Gagamba’s Drone Technology Wins Top Prize at University of Nevada Las Vegas President’s Innovation Challenge

At the University of Nevada Las Vegas, student innovation continues to push boundaries in addressing real-world challenges. The 2026 President’s Innovation Challenge showcased some of the most promising student-led ventures in the USA, but one team stood above the rest. Team Gagamba captured first place with their autonomous drone designed to clean high-rise windows on the Las Vegas Strip, demonstrating how drone technology combined with artificial intelligence can transform hazardous industries.

Understanding the President’s Innovation Challenge at University of Nevada Las Vegas

The President’s Innovation Challenge represents a flagship competition at the University of Nevada Las Vegas that brings together multidisciplinary teams of students to tackle significant problems facing Southern Nevada and beyond. The 2026 iteration focused on a critical question: How can artificial intelligence be harnessed to reimagine the future of human-centric industries and solve pressing challenges in dynamic communities like Las Vegas?

This competition does not simply reward theoretical concepts. Teams must demonstrate practical understanding of their proposed solutions, including market viability, technical feasibility, and real-world applicability. Six teams advanced to the final round held at the Thomas & Mack Center Strip View Pavilion on April 23, 2026, where they presented their proposals to a panel of expert judges. Team RebelBot earned second place, while Team BYK Labs took third, but Team Gagamba’s approach to an age-old problem proved most compelling.

Submit your application today if you are interested in participating in future innovation competitions at UNLV and want to develop solutions that matter.

The Problem High-Rise Window Cleaning Presents in Las Vegas

Las Vegas boasts one of the most recognizable skylines in the world. The Strip features massive resort complexes with thousands of windows requiring regular maintenance. Traditional window cleaning for these structures involves significant risks. Workers must operate at extreme heights, often suspended by harnesses or working from specialized equipment, exposed to wind, heat, and the inherent dangers of high-altitude labor.

Beyond safety concerns, high-rise window cleaning is expensive. Building operators face substantial costs for labor, equipment, and insurance. The work is also time-consuming, requiring careful coordination to avoid disrupting hotel operations or pedestrian traffic below. These factors create a clear market need for alternative solutions that can reduce risk while maintaining or improving cleaning efficiency.

Team Gagamba identified this opportunity through direct research and conversations with industry professionals. They spoke with representatives from companies including Servpro and MGM Grand, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges and priorities of facilities management in a major tourist destination.

How Team Gagamba Developed Their Drone Technology Solution

From Graffiti Removal to Window Washing

The path to the final product was not linear. Team Gagamba initially explored a graffiti removal drone concept. They conducted extensive research into the financial impact of graffiti, its role in police investigations regarding tagging, and the technical requirements for removal. However, after interviewing cleaning contractors and facilities managers, the team recognized that window washing represented a more feasible and commercially viable entry point.

This pivot illustrates an important lesson in entrepreneurship: the willingness to adapt based on market feedback. Rather than pursuing novelty for its own sake, the team followed advice from Glenn Nowak, one of the founders of AeroAI, who encouraged them to focus on a niche where they could achieve the greatest impact and profitability.

Technical Capabilities of the Gagamba Drone

The Gagamba drone leverages artificial intelligence to perform tasks that traditionally require human judgment and manual labor. The autonomous platform can detect contamination on window surfaces, create maps of cleaning areas, select appropriate cleaning methods based on the type of debris or staining, and verify results in real time. This level of automation addresses multiple pain points in the industry simultaneously.

The technical evolution of the design also reflects careful engineering analysis. The team initially considered a wall-climbing approach where the drone would attach directly to building surfaces using increased thrust and wheels. However, they calculated that this method would require approximately twice the thrust needed for standard hovering when accounting for friction coefficients. This physics-based evaluation led them to abandon that approach in favor of a more efficient flight-based system.

Schedule a free consultation to learn more about how autonomous systems are reshaping maintenance industries across the USA.

Building a Multidisciplinary Team for Student Success

One of the most notable aspects of Team Gagamba is its composition. The seven members bring expertise from multiple academic disciplines:

• Vaughn Guintu, Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering
• Richies Huynh, Bachelor of Science in computer science
• Khristian Ordonio, Bachelor of Arts in political science
• Aarash Gohari, Bachelor of Science in computer science
• Nathaniel Ordonio, Bachelor of Science in civil engineering
• Maddox Dolor, Bachelor of Science in civil engineering
• Narek Tonoyan, Bachelor of Science in computer science

This diversity proved essential to their success. The President’s Innovation Challenge explicitly requires interdisciplinary teams, and Team Gagamba learned this requirement the hard way. As Nathaniel Ordonio noted, they initially planned to field a team composed entirely of engineers before realizing they needed to include members from different majors to meet competition guidelines.

The inclusion of a political science major brought perspectives on regulatory considerations and stakeholder engagement that might have been overlooked in a purely technical team. Meanwhile, the combination of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and computer science created a robust technical foundation for both hardware and software development.

Mentorship and Industry Feedback Shape the Final Product

Team Gagamba did not develop their solution in isolation. Mentorship played a critical role in refining both their product and their pitch. Associate Professor-in-Residence Anthony Ferrar, who had previously mentored team members through the NexSledge project, provided guidance on sales engineering and presentation skills. The team credited him with teaching them how to effectively communicate the value of their idea to judges and potential investors.

Industry feedback also proved invaluable. Conversations with Servpro, MGM Grand, and other cleaning contractors helped the team understand market priorities and validate their approach. This external validation strengthened their proposal and demonstrated to judges that they had done more than theoretical work. They had engaged with actual potential customers and incorporated that feedback into their solution.

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Lessons for Future Innovation Challenge Participants

The members of Team Gagamba offered several insights for students considering participation in future competitions. Their advice reflects both strategic thinking and practical wisdom gained through experience.

Read the requirements carefully. The team nearly disqualified themselves by assuming they could compete with an all-engineer roster. Understanding competition guidelines from the outset prevents costly mistakes later.

Prioritize team chemistry. Multiple team members emphasized that the people you work with matter more than the specific idea. Good teams can refine mediocre ideas into strong proposals, but poor team dynamics can derail even brilliant concepts. Team Gagamba benefited from existing friendships and mutual trust built before the competition.

Seek mentorship early. The team’s connection with Professor Ferrar and other advisors provided structure and direction throughout the process. Mentors can help teams avoid common pitfalls and refine their approaches based on experience.

Be willing to pivot. The shift from graffiti removal to window washing demonstrates intellectual flexibility. Teams that become too attached to their initial concepts may miss better opportunities revealed through research.

Practice relentlessly. The team spent considerable time rehearsing their presentation, which proved essential during the high-pressure final round. Even experienced public speakers can falter without adequate preparation.

Explore related articles for further reading on student entrepreneurship and innovation competitions across American universities.

What Comes Next for Team Gagamba

Winning the President’s Innovation Challenge provides more than recognition. The prize includes funding and resources that will enable the team to develop their drone technology into a tangible product. Over the next two years, they plan to work in university labs, engage in undergraduate research, and expand their team to include additional members with relevant expertise.

The business development path is equally ambitious. Team Gagamba intends to pitch their concept to ZeroLabs, a Las Vegas-based incubator, and plans to participate in Startup Vegas events. Their goal is to transform a competition-winning idea into a viable business that can actually deploy Gagamba drones on buildings throughout the Strip and beyond.

This trajectory reflects a broader trend in higher education, where student innovation competitions serve as launching pads for real enterprises. The skills developed through these experiences, from market research to investor pitching, translate directly to entrepreneurial careers.

The Impact on Las Vegas and Beyond

While Team Gagamba’s immediate focus is on the Las Vegas market, the applications of their drone technology extend far beyond Southern Nevada. Any city with significant high-rise construction faces similar challenges with window maintenance. If the team successfully commercializes their solution, the potential market spans the entire USA and international urban centers.

The President’s Innovation Challenge itself represents the University of Nevada Las Vegas’s commitment to fostering innovation that addresses community needs. By encouraging students to apply their education to real problems, the competition bridges the gap between academic learning and practical impact. Team Gagamba’s success demonstrates what happens when talented students, quality mentorship, and institutional support converge around a compelling problem.

Their journey from a bird dropping on a physics building window to a first-place finish at a major innovation competition offers a reminder that great ideas often start with simple observations. What matters is the willingness to pursue those observations, do the hard work of research and development, and present solutions with clarity and conviction.

Share your experiences in the comments below if you have participated in innovation challenges or worked on autonomous systems in academic settings.