Imagineactive Ambular

Ambular
Imagineactive
Montréal, Québec, Canada
www.imaginactive.org

The Ambular is an all-electric emergency response drone concept designed to carry sick and wounded patients. The Ambular concept was imagined in November 2018 by Charles Bombardier. It was designed by Martin Rico who studied design at the University of Buenos Aires and works as an Industrial Designer for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Rico also designed the Transvolution, another of Imagineactive's aircraft.

The Ambular concept was based on the idea of a small aircraft, capable of flying one person in and out of difficult to reach places and transport them safely across short to medium distances. One market where the Ambular can be successfully used would be with paramedics in situations where they need to rapidly extract a patient from normally inaccessible areas. For example, there is an accident in rush hour traffic in a major city, highway or freeway and the ambulance ride would take too long and there is too much traffic to allow a helicopter to land safely.

The Ambular would be equipped with twelve (12) propellers (two in each ducted fan), each with a diameter of 1.2 meters (or 4 feet). Each prop would be capable of producing 20 Kw of power. This power would allow for patients in the 113 kgs (250 lbs) region or slightly above, to be safely extracted and transport over distances as far as 15 nautical miles (28 kilometers or 17 miles). An autonomous flight system would be developed to carry the passenger safely to the nearest hospital autonomously.

The shape of the Ambular could be altered to optimize lift, and additional micro turbines or small jet thrusters could be used to provide additional boost during take-off. The frame of this vehicle would need to be as light and robust as possible, potentially using newly developed super light materials. Landing skids could be deployed for landings on most surfaces and a winch and pulley system will allow for rescues in the most challenging terrain.

The interior would also be designed to sustain the life of a patient during the short flight and include vital lifesaving apparatus.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Concept eVTOL for Emergency Medical Services use for patients only 
• Piloting: Autonomous or remotely piloted
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Cruising speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown
• Propellers: 12 shroud protected propellers
• Electric motors: 12 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber
• Window: Top window for patient
• Landing gear: Fixed landing struts
• Safety Features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers and motors on the aircraft so if one or more motors or propellers fail, the other working motors and propellers can safely land the aircraft. 

Resources:

• Imaginactive website
• Imaginactive Ambular web page
• Facebook page