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LIFT Aircraft HEXA SAR

LIFT HEXA Search And Rescue multicopter

 

HEXA SAR
LIFT Aircraft Inc.
Austin, Texas, USA
www.liftaircraft.com

Austin, Texas-based LIFT Aircraft started their project in Oct. 2017 in Budapest, revealed itself on Dec. 11, 2018 to the public through social media and news articles, and made its first public appearance at the SXSW (South By Southwest) 2019 Conference and Festivals held in March in Austin, Texas, USA. The LIFT HEXA (originally the "Hexa") is an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) single-passenger wingless multicopter ultralight aimed primarily at tourism and short distance travel. The HEXA aircraft was designed by Robert Kovacs, who is based in Hungary.

LIFT was founded by Matt Chasen, a serial entrepreneur, investor and adventure sports enthusiast. While getting his MBA at the University of Texas at Austin in 2003, Chasen founded uShip — the first and largest online marketplace for shipping which today has over $200 M in annual gross sales.

The HEXA SAR (Search And Rescue) amphibious concept design multicopter is a remote controlled or autonomous aircraft (no onboard pilot) and can rescue people on land or water using a winch and harness to safely rescue people from harms way. The HEXA SAR can be piloted autonomously or semi-autonomously with little training from the operator and without the need for trained pilots.

Now that some smart phones are made from the factory to be semi-water proof, the company might possibly develope an app that people can use to request a rescue. This could be extremely useful to the person having trouble in the ocean or a lake and no one knows they are in need of being rescued. The autonomous HEXA SAR would automatically takeoff and find the stranded person extremely fast without the need for human interpretation slowing down the rescue operation.

The HEXA SAR multicopter has several advantages over a helicopter. The HEXA SAR is less expensive than purchasing a helicopter and not having to pay for the salaries of full-time regularly trained pilots would keep costs down. Multiple HEXA SAR aircraft could be purchased and placed strategically along beaches for better rescue coverage. Using an autonomous rescue multicopter is a better situation than having one helicopter covering miles of beaches and having to fly long distances to rescue stranded people.

The multicopter could be easily stored on small, medium or large ships which do not have helicopter landing pads. The multicopter could be used for both military or civilian water rescue services. The multicopters could also be transported by truck and be stationed along beaches during special events. Ports could station multicopters in various locations along the port to facilitate quick rescues. At night, the multicopter is small enough to be stored inside a garage or other buildings used by life guards or other organizations.

The multicopter has 18 independently controlled propellers and 18 electric motors mounted on a motor strut assembly resembling a web of six inward-pointing sectors with twelve outer and six inner electrically-powered propellers. This allows the aircraft to be controlled in any direction by varying the individual motor speed for each propeller.

Each motor has an underslung battery which the company says makes for quick battery changeouts between flights. This battery placement also puts the risk of fire away from the passenger(s) and under the propeller airflow. Having the batteries next to the electric motors also saves extra cabling weight. The HEXA’s all-carbon fiber airframe is supported by six perimeter floats allowing the aircraft to make both land and water landings.

The aircraft uses a differential global positioning system (GPS) for navigation. It provides autonomous flight capabilities with the help of an autopilot computer that receives manual inputs from a single three-axis joystick. The eVTOL incorporates networking capabilities to achieve geo-sphere collision avoidance. Its collision avoidance capabilities are further strengthened by a ground-based radar. Take-offs and landings can be automated with precision and the vehicle can be switched to "return to home" mode when the battery is low.

As of May 2022, the company has not stated when a prototype type might be made and has not released any specifications for this aircraft, such as payload weight and the range of the aircraft.

For detailed information on LIFT Aircraft's HEXA modular commercial passenger multicopter, please see the HEXA Electric VTOL News web page here.

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: eVTOL emergency medical services multicopter aircraft
  • Piloting: 1 pilot (semi-autonomous piloting, autonomous piloting or by remote control)
  • Capacity: 1 stretcher with patient
  • Cruise speed: Unknown
  • Maximum flying time: Unknown
  • Empty weight: Unknown
  • Payload weight: Unknown. Possibly more than 300 lb (136 kg).
  • Propellers: 18 propellers
  • Electric Motors: 18 electric motors
  • Power source: Batteries
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Landing gear: 6 fixed landing pods
  • 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. Has an autonomous ballistic parachute in case of a multiple rotor failure.

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