Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Fotokite (Aerial Situational Awareness for Every Firefighter)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-11-01 bis 2021-10-31
Fotokite Sigma provides public safety teams with mission-critical situational awareness from elevated perspectives. Fotokite's actively tethered UAS (unmanned aerial system) saves team resources by launching, flying, and landing with the single push of a button; no piloting necessary. Fotokite Sigma is authorized and recognized by aviation authorities as a safer alternative to traditional tethered drone and free-flying public safety drone systems- Fotokite Live is Fotokite Sigma's native operating software. Mission critical situational awareness information is continuously available on included rugged tablets and allows teams to make increasingly information-driven decisions through a simple, straightforward interface. Fotokite is operating as long as the public safety mission needs it. Integration into the power supply from the public safety vehicle keeps the Fotokite Sigma operational for whole the duration of the mission.
The requirements of the various product enclosures and installation types were identified and documented. The design of the first product enclosures (mobile carrying case, and side-mounted pull-out tray mount) were finalized and prepared for turn-key manufacture as part of WP1. As part of WP2, the third enclosure type (roof-mounted enclosure) has been progressed from concept through to a current (in project month 12) readiness level of TRL-7, with multiple proof-of-concept prototype units successfully installed on fire vehicles and being actively used during fire responses. Based on user feedback and monitoring system metrics, the enclosure design and system internal subassemblies were improved. In the coming project months, in accordance with the schedule of WP2, further demo units with this updated design are being built for further field testing, and preparations are being made for transferring the manufacturing to the external manufacturer. In the first 12 project months, FOTOKITE has taken steps necessary to finalize the development of a close to market-ready, vehicle-integrated FOTOKITE Sigma system. These steps included design validation through rigorous testing, including the testing of individual components and of the system as a whole in environments of extreme heat, cold, rain, wind and at high altitudes. These tests included both real-world tests and lab tests (e.g. heat chamber, water jet). Based on the results of these tests, necessary changes were made in the final design of the product and in the production process. Our IPR strategy was regularly updated and adjusted according to the technical development and results of the Phase 2 project activities. Main activities included the maintenance of registered and awarded patents, the extension of existing patents to other markets, and IPR protection tasks for the newly explored opportunities, based on new developments in FOTOKITE. Pre-sales and market monitoring activities were continuous throughout project implementation. According to our customer development planning strategy, additional countries were involved in our pre-sales target locations and robust market surveys were implemented in those countries. Specific questionnaires were developed and surveyed in the United Kingdom, in Ukraine, in Poland, in Romania, in the Netherlands and in Belgium. Our pre-sales market survey campaign was also updated with specific phone calls to fire stations and police departments throughout Europe.
In the second 12 months, design goals with detailed specifications were identified and a detailed technical plan including a design validation prototype stage took place wherein the prototype was tested in extreme environments and with different vehicle types. Fully functional demonstration units were then paired with external partners for user feedback from real world situations. This feedback identified design changes needed for later prototyping stages after which design validation and testing was performed and a manufacturing transfer protocol was defined. The vehicle-integrated enclosure progressed from solution specification to prototype to real-world testing to the resulting detailed assembly manual and manufacturing protocol suitable for larger scale production and customer deliveries. A variety of multidisciplinary tasks were undertaken by Fotokite personnel, working closely with key partners and pilot users, to gain effective confidence in the design and performance of the vehicle-integrated enclosure in challenging, first-responder conditions. The hands-on collaboration with the contract manufacturer will provide a productive feedback loop that will improve build quality and reduce assembly labor, ultimately making this product available to public safety teams and supporting them in their daily work of saving lives, preserving property, and serving their communities. In the second project year we continued our pre-sales and market monitoring activities. According to the potential customer’s feedback after the submission of the first interim report and the comments from our commercial leads, we turned our attention to the European Nordic countries. Direct market research activities were implemented with specified surveys in these countries. Questionnaires were developed and sent out in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark for governmental and other public administrational institutions in charge with fire safety, police operations and public safety (emergency response teams.) We continuously pursued several communication and dissemination activities in the second year of the project as well. We were even more active in on-line dissemination activities: the project website was renewed (www.FOTOKITE.com) new engagement project videos were prepared and social media dissemination was further boosted on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FOTOKITE on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOTOKITE_ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/FOTOKITE/ and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FOTOKITE/. The project was presented on more than 25 demonstration events, training occasions or any other type of events related to dissemination and communication.
In the second 12 months, design goals with detailed specifications were identified and a detailed technical plan including a design validation prototype stage took place wherein the prototype was tested in extreme environments and with different vehicle types. Fully functional demonstration units were then paired with external partners for user feedback from real world situations. This feedback identified design changes needed for later prototyping stages after which design validation and testing was performed and a manufacturing transfer protocol was defined. The vehicle-integrated enclosure progressed from solution specification to prototype to real-world testing to the resulting detailed assembly manual and manufacturing protocol suitable for larger scale production and customer deliveries. A variety of multidisciplinary tasks were undertaken by Fotokite personnel, working closely with key partners and pilot users, to gain effective confidence in the design and performance of the vehicle-integrated enclosure in challenging, first-responder conditions. The hands-on collaboration with the contract manufacturer will provide a productive feedback loop that will improve build quality and reduce assembly labor, ultimately making this product available to public safety teams and supporting them in their daily work of saving lives, preserving property, and serving their communities. In the second project year we continued our pre-sales and market monitoring activities. According to the potential customer’s feedback after the submission of the first interim report and the comments from our commercial leads, we turned our attention to the European Nordic countries. Direct market research activities were implemented with specified surveys in these countries. Questionnaires were developed and sent out in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark for governmental and other public administrational institutions in charge with fire safety, police operations and public safety (emergency response teams.) We continuously pursued several communication and dissemination activities in the second year of the project as well. We were even more active in on-line dissemination activities: the project website was renewed (www.FOTOKITE.com) new engagement project videos were prepared and social media dissemination was further boosted on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FOTOKITE on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOTOKITE_ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/FOTOKITE/ and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FOTOKITE/. The project was presented on more than 25 demonstration events, training occasions or any other type of events related to dissemination and communication.
Reliability is one of the cornerstones of Fotokite's technologies. While normal public safety drone use is widely limited in inclement weather conditions, Fotokite actively tethered UAS is regularly deployed in rain, snow, and windy conditions. The Rooftop Box configuration is Fotokite's flagship configuration, enabling elevated situational awareness immediately and completely hands-free. Designed for integration into SUV and heavy apparatus vehicle classes, the Rooftop configuration deploys with the single push of a button. Fotokite created substantial demand in the last two years of the project, proven by strong customer feedback and significant market uptake. Fotokite systems have successfully been implemented in live demo events, such as fire responses, search & rescue missions, and training exercises to help firefighting teams. Successful and wide-scale implementation of Fotokite will help improve the safety the society, with special attention to firefighting and public safety teams and increase effectiveness on public lifesaving operations.