The Game Changer Free-wing VTOL Drone for Commercial and Governmental Missions

Project Information

ARcopter

Grant agreement ID: 816552

DOI

10.3030/816552

Project closed

EC signature date 4 May 2018

Start date 1 June 2018

End date 30 September 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

COLUGO SYSTEMS LTD
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ARcopter (The Game Changer Free-wing VTOL Drone for Commercial and Governmental Missions)

Reporting period: 2018-06-01 to 2018-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ARcopter addresses the current shortcomings of UAV solutions: very short endurance for multi-rotor UAVs, lack of adaptability for take-off and landing for fixed-wing UAVs, and loss of flight precision and controllability for VTOL UAVs, that is poor or non-existent fully autonomous commercial UAVs.
The commercial UAV market is in clear expansion because enormous value can be obtained from replacing numerous services by novel UAV solutions, including but not restricted to infrastructure mapping and surveillance, precision farming, and aerial first aid responses. However, these sectors need improved features for a successful UAV service.
Therefore, the objective of the ARcopter project are to deliver a commercial UAV platform capable of:
• Precise VTOLs with wind speed up to 55 km/h vs. competitors’ limits of 25-35 km/h and need to land with headwinds,
• Longer flight endurance (up to 2.5 hours of flight, vs. 0.5 hours for the majority of quadcopters)
• Higher flight speeds (60 km/h optimal speed (max endurance), 120 km/h max speed, vs. average quadcopter flight speed of 25 km/h).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A full Feasibility study has been carried out, being divided into four main sections:
• Technical feasibility: current technical capabilities and needs to reach the commercial stage were assessed with a technological and complexity-based risk analysis.
• Commercial and Freedom to Operate analysis: commercial environment surrounding an innovative commercial UAV was researched, including varied market studies, intellectual property status, regulatory environment, a PESTEL analysis, market barriers and a hazard analysis and mitigation plan.
• Partnership agreements: definition of current and prospective strategic partners is the step following the commercial and technological viability, encompassing suppliers, distributors and clients.
• Financial feasibility: a business strategy was created. This included growth predictions, costs, margins and returns on investments up to 2025. The result was a Phase 2 timeline and business plan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Feasibility of ARcopter has been confirmed, describing the requirements to deliver a technologically and commercially viable platform superior to all present competing solutions, able to perform commercial UAV missions fully autonomously. This would create enormous value for Colugo System’s clients that would cascade onto their own customers, targeting to unblock a market of €146 mill. in revenues along with the creation of 40 job positions during the period 2021-2025.

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