Flying Robots S.A., based in Geneva, Switzerland, participates, thanks to Pôle Pegase, in an European project designated “H4 Rescue”, defining requirements for Large VTOL (FTH Eurocopter), or Very Short TOL Transport RPAS (Flying Robots S.A.), or a Large Airship (Euro Airship), used for transporting loads to crisis sites (last mile). In particular, it examines their deployment in civil emergency scenarios, like fires, floods, earthquakes, and environmental disasters.
Within the framework of this project, thirty experts and end-users come together every two months over a one year period. Recently, one of these meetings took place in Aix en Provence at ENOSP (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs Pompiers). At this meeting, the functional specifications requested by end-users, based on real cases like earthquake in Pakistan, Haiti, Italy or tsunami in Japan, fire in Portugal, were developed.
These requirements change thanks to new offers, like the Transport RPAS of 400 kg, which permits missions in conflict areas, particularly in nuclear disaster areas, as well as for night interventions, or in heavy fog. The capability to fly 40 hours, with a drop capacity of 350 kg, or having the capacity to serve safely and at a very low flight hour cost, as a good communication system for all the operators on the ground, gives new perspectives to the operators.
Flying Robots S.A. has also joined the Aerial Fire Fighting Forum that was also held at ENOSP in Aix en Provence; this event brought together 270 aerial fire fighting operators from 26 countries. Operators and manufacturers presented experience, problems, and innovative solutions. The RPAS proposed by Flying Robots S.A. was able to drop equipment to isolated groups during night operations and served as communication transmission relay, general surveillance, particularly in contaminated areas.
Even though RPAS are not yet common in civil operations, the potential operators are every day more and more interested by this new technology. Pôle Risques has been particularly active in this organization, and other innovative RPAS companies were also able to present their RPAS, like Novadem (France), Infotron (France), Nitrofirex (Spain), and SWAT (Switzerland). Unfortunately, flight demonstrations were not possible for administrative reasons, provoking a sense of frustration with all participants and the organizers.