Project description
Personal VTOL aircraft takes off
The faster the world’s population grows, the harder it will become to get around. The transport system for individuals and freight will slow down. Those operating in urgent, high-pressure environments like emergency first responders will need to find alternative mobility solutions. The EU-funded Audax Aero project is developing a futuristic vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. It can hover, take off, and land vertically. Unlike other similar aircraft, it is designed for longer flight distances (300 km/2 hours). The project will target first responders as well as cargo delivery companies, commuters and the recreational industry who require quick transport to inaccessible areas. The project will conduct computer simulations to validate aircraft specifications. It will also test a prototype.
Objective
World urban population is expected to grow by 2.5B in 2050, causing severe delays to commuter, freight and first responder mobility. This costs Europe €100B yearly and is anticipated to cause a productivity loss of €238.7 billion annually for UK, France, Germany and the USA in 2030. Various proactive actions have been proposed in recent years, with exciting developments emerging in air urban mobility, focused on personal vertical lift off, VTOL, aircraft. Many solutions developed so far are mostly electric powered limiting flight endurance to a maximum of 30 minutes due to immature battery technology, unreliable safety, bulky design (rotor configuration >4m) and excessive noise.
As VB Hi-Tech Ventures, our start-up company specialising in the design of personal flying devices, we developed Audax Aero, a VTOL aircraft designed to improve flight distance to a range of 300km/2 hours without refuelling, while improving pilot safety thanks to a hybrid propulsion system that also reduce noise levels. Our target users are first responders, cargo delivery companies, commuters and recreational industry who need quick transportation and improved mobility to inaccessible areas. We are targeting the UAVs for first responder market projected to reach €106B in 2019, UAV market which is expected to grow by €1.69B from 2016 to 2023 and VTOL market which is expected to reach €4.3B in 2026.
We have invested €150,000 for the development of Audax Aero and we will validate the functionality and specifications by conducting computer simulations and testing a prototype to be built in Phase 1 as well as search for development and component supply partners. In addition to developing an Intellectual Property strategy and dissemination plan, we will also outline the activities and timelines for the Phase 2 project towards a 2022 market launch. We anticipate a profit and revenue of €9,93M and €19,26M for the 5 year exploitation period respectively, with 160 employment opportunities created.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electric batteries
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering control systems
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering aircraft
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics autonomous robots drones
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
N1 7GU LONDON
United Kingdom
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.