About the project
| Name of the project | Research and development into potential application of autonomous aircraft in the fight against the pandemic caused by COVID-19 |
|---|---|
| Acronym | UAVLIFE |
| Project code | 313010ATR9 |
| Program | Operational program Integrated Infrastructure |
| Applicant | Slovak Technical University in Bratislava |
| Provider | Managing authority: Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic |
| Project call announced by | Intermediate body: Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and Research Agency |
| Total eligible expenditure | 6 353 865,34 € |
| The amount of the approved non-returnable financial assistance | 5 993 441,72 € |
|---|---|
| Call | OPII-VA/DP/2020/9.4-01 |
| Partners | AerobTec, s.r.o., MEDIREX GROUP ACADEMY, n.o., University of Žilina |
| Project implementation period | 9/2020 – 06/2023 |
| Project implementation location | Slovak Republic/Nitra Region/Nitra |
Research under UAVELIFE
According to the Strategic Research Agenda For Robotics in Europe 2014-2020, one of the key research domains is transportation of material and the designing of an intelligent means of transport using elements of robotics (e.g. navigation, localization, intelligent behaviour). In the field of transport and logistics, the key technologies includes interaction technology, flexible mechanical systems, 3D space representation as well as task planning and optimization.
Information about the project
The subject of research
The project is focusing on research and development in the field of production of other means of transport, including their functional services, quality, testing, metrology and related processes for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), development of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which can be used for the transport of material in dangerous and often life-threatening situations and the supporting ICT management systems for the needs of UAS. Considering the above, the project is submitted under the ‘Vehicles for the 21st Century’ domain.
Complexity
The complexity and novelty of the presented project reflects, among other things, the broad range of connections to several significantly innovative projects within the European and international context.
At the same time, the consortium fully reflects the objectives of the call in the presented project as it focuses on research and development in the use of UAVs in the transport of biological material – which is directly represented by the research into the possibilities of using this means of transport in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project excellence
The basic project input will be the excellence of the research team of investigators and its combined research know-how in the field of UAV research on the one hand, and in the field of biomedicine/public health on the other.
Project quality
The quality of the presented project is also proven by the planned project outputs measured using the project indicators. The consortium consists of two renowned universities (Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, University of Žilina), a representative of the SME sector (AerobTec) and a non-profit research organization – Medirex Group Academy, whose involvement as a representative of independent biomedical research and development ensures the overlap of the research-development activities under the project with the field of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project implementation will result in the following key project outputs:
A full range of prototypes addressing various technical/construction aspects of UAVs and design of models for optimal manner of transportation of various types of biological material.
According to the Strategic Research Agenda For Robotics in Europe 2014-2020, one of the key research domains is the transport of material and the designing of an intelligent means of transport using elements of robotics (e.g. navigation, localization, intelligent behaviour).
It is exactly the field of transportation in this document that is defined as the navigating or transfer of objects or individuals from a known starting position to a known final destination, whereby this may involve short-haul or long-haul transfers.
In the field of transport and logistics, the key technologies includes interaction technology, flexible mechanical systems, 3D space representation as well as task planning and optimization. In the same document, another key domain is the civilian sector. Research in this area should also focus on emergency services, especially crisis management and Search and Rescue tasks.
Application of multi-robotic platforms capable of using data from various fields and different environments in full interaction with a human operator is also mentioned in document. The consortium submitting the project embraced the research and development challenges defined in the international documents as its starting point. The scope and intention of the submitted project reflects several research areas defined in this strategic European document.
The project introduces an original proposal for a design concept of a multiplatform means of transport and its associated control systems. The innovative design also includes the development of an inhouse platform optimized for the currently available technologies, i.e. in terms of materials, dynamics of movement in a changing environment and motion control. To meet the transportation needs of all equipment, the target load (payload) is about 4000 grams and all design specifications are based on this value. In research and development, we will focus on a platform offering resistance to cross-wind of up to 20 m/s (own regulator and control, high-speed drives, high speed and dynamics), with a flight range of up to 20 km (own power system and drive efficiency). One of our goals is the development of a transportation box/equipment that will automatically stabilize all important properties of the transported material such as temperature, pressure, and humidity and will prevent the transmission of vibrations and acceleration to the material itself.