UQ Students unveil plan for 1st civilian UAV
UQ Students Fly into the Future
By Sarah Bristow
Suave Inc. propose their design
A group of University of Queensland students today unveiled plans for the launch of the first civilian-operated UAV.
UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are remote-controlled aircrafts flown without a pilot or crew.
Used traditionally by the military for surveillance, the group of fourth year engineers, named Suave Inc, proposed the appropriation of the traditional UAV for civilian use.
Their prototype, nicknamed ‘Penelope’, specifically targets the Australian Surf Lifesaving Association.
Suave Inc members Hayden Malcomson, Diane Rapson, David Kempnich, Ashley Masters and Benjamin Chapmin redesigned the conventional UAV which often faces difficulty in relation to its takeoff and landing.
Team member Hayden Malcomson explained “The key problems facing UAV proliferation are the fact that takeoff is complex and finding the ideal runway is extremely difficult.”
The group overcame this problem through the simplification of the traditional design.
‘Penelope’ is an off the shelf plane with a catapult which uses elastic impulse technology to launch. Essentially this is a giant elastic band. As a result, Penelope is able to launch with less than ten metres of runway compared to the traditional thousand and is able to be used by civilians.
The benefits of this decision are numerous; the UAV is both time saving and cost effective.
In a statement released by the team they claimed “The primary benefit of the launcher will be the ease of which it can be assembled, its low cost and reliable, non-explosive means of production.”
As for Penelope, she was primarily designed for the assistance of Search and Rescue situations. If all goes accordingly her reliability will be tested at a proof of concept scheduled at Redcliffe in late October. A mock distress situation rescue is planned in which a swimmer is to be rescued via a buoyancy vest delivered from a Suave UAV launcher.
While targeting the Australian Surf Lifesaving Association with this prototype Suave Inc are adamant that the civilian-friendly component of the aircraft will ensure it is expandable to other industries including traffic control and border security.
If adapted to other fields, Penelope will save the Government both time and money in its completion of menial tasks.
