has been awarded a contract by the U. S. Air Force to help improve search and rescue operations. Funded under the Rapid Innovation Fund, Extreme Access Pocket Flyer will address an existing capability gap in the remote inspection of small passageways and tunnels that are often – blocked by debris and rubble.
Under this new project, CyPhy Works will design and test Extreme Access Pocket Flyer, a compact, highly versatile drone that can be quickly deployed for remote inspection of collapsed structures. The current approach used by search and rescue operations relies on costly ground robots that can be limited by ground obstacles and steep terrain. Target users communities will include Pararescue, Special Forces and FEMA. Extreme Access Pocket Flyer will also be used as an airborne in-tunnel surveillance system.
“Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), frequently placed in tunnels and culverts, are the predominant threat to our military forces” said Matt England, LTC(R) and CyPhy Works Vice President of Government Systems. “Imagine not having to get out of the protection of your armored vehicle and being able to closely inspect suspicious areas in a fraction of the time it currently takes. That’s what Extreme Access Pocket Flyer will enable.”
Extreme Access Pocket Flyer makes use of CyPhy Work’s proprietary microfilament technology to solve the mission life and non-line-of-site telemetry issues. A free flying vehicle this size would last less than twenty minutes and would lose communications when entering a building. By contrast, the Extreme Access Pocket Flyer will stay aloft as long as power is supplied from the ground and its batteries will be hot swappable.
“Just like a camera, the best drone is the one you have with you,” said CyPhy Works CEO Helen Greiner. “The market potential is one for every soldier, marine, police officer, swat team member, and many other jobs that expose people to danger”.
CyPhy Works is a leading robotics company developing aerial robots and UAVs for large industries such as defense, oil and gas, agriculture, entertainment, law enforcement, and mining. CyPhy Works combines UAV experts with product proven roboticists to create rugged and reliable aerial solutions. CyPhy (pronounced: Sci-Fi) is a contraction of Cyber and Physical both essential elements to a robot. Our mission statement describes our philosophy: Our community inspires; Our team creates; Our robots empower.
Source: Press Release