Futuristic Autonomous ‘Drone Ambulance’ Wins Major Prize

Drones, undoubtedly, are a big deal. There are so many dedicated research centers making drones feasible for application in different departments that it is hard to ignore drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) finding their way into every commercial sector in usage; whether that be traffic control and surveillance or crowd management and security checking. Drones have found a lot of potential in the medical sector as they are used to deliver medicines, steroids, quick rescue instructions and are finding their application as transporters of patients.

Yes, drones might soon be transporting patients in emergency situations or transporting staff from hospital to an emergency location at short notice across short distances. The reason this is desperately the need of the hour is because developing countries and developed countries, each have a traffic concentration rising at an accelerating pace; making it difficult for conventional ambulances to be as effective and efficient as they once used to be. The situation is only expected to get worse and even if it does not, drones are an ideal alternative to automotive ambulances.

The 2nd FAI International Drones Conference and Expo held in Lausanne conducted on 1st September 2018 saw an ambitious, rewarding awards for drone developers and innovators. One of whom, easily standing out, was 34 year old Vincenzo Navantri. Why did he stand out? Why wouldn’t he! He has devised a futuristic drone capable of performing the job of an ambulance as it carries patients safely through any weather conditions from an emergency location to a hospital at the surprising speed of 110 km/hr. Vincenzo was awarded a prize of $20,000 for his work to facilitate him and his team to develop the drone as prototype, bringing it into physical reality and making use of it for actual benefit of people.

Design highlights include:

• Autonomous (self-piloting) in flight
• 150km range
• Maximum speed of 110km/h
• Maximum altitude 1,000m
• Carries up to 120kg
• Destination set by GPS coordinates
• 8 electric-driven propellers
• Backup batteries
• On-board cameras and communications system
• Onboard oxygen supply and medical monitoring

Collecting the award Navanteri, said: “It is a pleasure to receive this grant, and to use it for development. As a company it is what we need. And, more than my own business, it will support the general development of this type of technology.” Continuing his speech, he said, “The drone is intended mainly for rescue and first-aid missions,” Giving an example, “urgent interventions in remote villages, or where access is temporarily difficult.”

But anyone could have imagined this. For all that matters, we have proposed feasibility analyses and applications of paramedic drones right here at Dronebelow. So what makes Navantri’s drone so special? Well, Navantri took one step ahead and actually solved the difficult challenge of drone mileage which is the primary limiting factor in any drone or UAV’s performance. How? By developing unique, bladeless turbines that offer a very high thrust at a lower motor power, making Navantri’s drone so power-efficient that it might just be THE breakthrough drone technology needed. “This revolutionary blade-less and highly efficient micro-turbine technology is patented by us and is key to the long range of the drone.” Navantri stated clearly, boasting the one thing that makes his drone special, innovative and above all, practical!