Design of inoffensive sUAS for humanitarian missions

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to define configuration requirements needed to define “harmless” small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) by taking into account mathematical models and ballistic approaches, already defined for small projectiles and now modified, with appropriate assumptions. These safety requirements are related to structures, materials, weight and dimensions, such as the radius of curvature.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the state-of-the-art forensic and ballistic physics models are presented, and then safety requirements are defined for sUAS. This big challenge is due to a lack of regulation because each country and each regulatory authority have published their own regulations, where the imposed requirements are different because the mathematical models, and the related assumptions, are different from one country to another. Therefore, proper assumptions are introduced in these models to obtain safety requirements to define harmless final configuration.

Findings

If the final configuration meets the requirements defined in the methodology, there are no severe injuries on the human body, in case of impact with the sUAS. In other words, the inoffensive configuration can also be used in overcrowded areas without risks for the human life.

Originality/value

The final configuration proposed in this paper has some design features substantially modified, compared to the conventional configuration, and in particular, the sUAS could be the first harmless multicopter certified in Italy.

Citation

Novaro Mascarello, L. and Quagliotti, F. (2018), "Design of inoffensive sUAS for humanitarian missions", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 90 No. 3, pp. 524-531. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-11-2016-0235