Very often, the transport of vital goods, such as blood or medicines, is made difficult by road congestion, the lack of a reliable road system, or simply the absence of a road network.
Alternative means of transport, such as helicopters or aeroplanes, have a significant ecological footprint and conventional drones are known for their low autonomy and high energy consumption when carrying heavy loads.
In the framework of this project, we want to respond to this need with an autonomous air vehicle capable of transporting large loads with lower consumption and at high speed. The vehicle will fly at a low height above water bodies, which will generate an overpressure underneath the vehicle, thus reducing its energy demands. The principle is well known to birds that fly close to the water.
A vehicle using a ground effect will be able to connect localities close to a body of water in a fast, reliable and economical way. The non-contact with the water will avoid any disturbance to the marine fauna and offers the possibility to avoid floating obstacles, such as tree trunks, birds or swimmers. This method will thus make it possible to exploit bodies of water that are not or not easily navigable (e.g. the Rhône in Swiss Valais or the Congo River). Finally, the proximity of the aircraft to the water will allow emergency landings in complete safety and will avoid any risk of falling into a crowd or an inhabited area.
The objective of this project is to build a demonstrator, a small, functional prototype capable of carrying a load of the size of a litre of water or blood over a lake or river.
Project partner(s)
Project leader - team
Flavio Noca
(HEPIA)