What it does
Today's aerial firefighting solutions are expensive, dangerous, can't fly at night, and struggle in worsening winds. The Daidelos 1200 is a firefighting drone that costs as much as a fire truck, operates day/night, and fits inside a storage container.
Your inspiration
When a fire tore through the Palisades, one thing became apparent: firefighters aren't equipped to fight modern fires. This was a call to action for Sacha and I as ambitious engineering students. Even the best firefighting aircraft couldn't be deployed due to severe winds, and budgetary constraints limited the magnitude of their response. When we researched today's solutions, we found multi-billion dollar aircraft development programs and small 50 liter firefighting drones. We knew that small drones can't make a dent on fires, and large aircraft programs are too expensive. We landed on an idea: an inexpensive 1,000+L VTOL firefighting drone.
How it works
The Daidelos 1200 is a helicopter drone the size of a minivan, and the cost of a firetruck (€1.5M). It can hold 1.2 tonnes of water, and can fit in a 6m storage container when folded. It can operate day and night, and will initially be remotely piloted so it can safely operate with manned aircraft. Later, autonomous versions will become available so there can be fleets of autonomous firefighting aircraft. The drone features a body with a door, allowing it to hold three standard shipping pallets (1.5m tall) of cargo. This makes it essentially a flying fire truck, allowing firefighters to fly their equipment to sites rapidly. With blades unfolded, it can fit in a city street (5m wide), allowing it to fight large building fires by lifting a hose attached to the ground over 150m high. It features a patented propulsion technology that allows it to fly in higher winds than any helicopter, and use a smaller, less expensive engine while lifting the same amount.
Design process
Between our engineering classes, we drew various ideas. We discussed the physics of vertical takeoff, and researched current aviation technology. We dug deep for equations to help us figure out how much water we could carry with various designs, and what design characteristics were the most important. We made 3D computer models of our ideas, then 3D printed them at scale to help us feel and think through our ideas. We aimed to create an aircraft that meets the following criteria:
1) Any firefighter can operate out of their local fire station with limited training.
2) It would cost as much as a firetruck to acquire and operate.
3) It can carry over 1,000L of water.
4) It can fly in winds faster than today's helicopters.
We iterated through over 50 configurations and made dozens of 3D printed models. Once we landed on a design that we believed met all four criteria, we created a mini prototype helicopter to show that the propulsion system works. We first used tiny RC helicopters strapped to a can to validate our calculations, then designed and built a bigger scale model that we flew to show that our design could fly. We are now making full sized prototypes of each system, and we will combine them to create a full sized prototype drone that will first be ground tested then flown.
How it is different
Our patent-pending technology allows us to fly in higher winds than any other helicopter, and lift the same weight as a traditional helicopter with a 40% less powerful engine and smaller blades. As a result, our engine will be ~40% cheaper than that in a similar weight helicopter - engines are ~40% the cost of a helicopter. Due to its smaller blades, it can fit in a 20 ft. storage container and takeoff from a city street, which no other helicopter today can do. The Daidelos 1200 is the only firefighting drone in the world that can carry more than 500L of water. Unlike firefighting helicopters or airplanes, it doesn't require a pilot in the aircraft so it doesn't risk their life, it can be operated by a lightly trained firefighter, and features fire detection and spread prediction features to boost efficiency. It costs half as much as a helicopter that can carry the same amount of water, making it the least expensive firefighting aircraft per liter it can drop.
Future plans
We will create and iterate through prototypes of the "core technology," then combine the final prototypes to build a system we'll test on the ground. By 2028, once we have perfected this system, we'll make a frame, integrate the ground system, and fly this as our first prototype. We will then make adjustments to boost performance. By 2029, we will finalize our design and sell it to governments in New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, where we will perform our first big field tests. By 2030 we will sell to governments across Europe, Asia, and South America, and in 2032, we will have a fully certified drone that we will sell to anyone globally.
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