Students develop UAV for operations on land, water

ANKARA

A group of students from Başkent University have developed an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be used in search and rescue and military operations carried out on land, air and water.

The university’s mechanical engineering students stated that the UAV can be used for all kinds of search and rescue operations both on water and land and in operations conducted for security against various crimes.

The rotary-wing UAV, designed in a structure that can float on and underwater with its wheels, will be able to take part in critical operations in places such as lakes, seas, dams and ports with this feature.

Zeki Bilgay Solak, one of the students in charge of the project, stated that the vehicle can provide its service in a fully autonomous way under challenging conditions.

Pointing out that safe fall tests are ongoing, Solak said they can gradually increase the safe fall, which they have currently designed as 5 meters, by 10,20 and 30 meters.

“The UAV we have developed can progress in a hybrid way. The most important feature that distinguishes it from other similar projects is its hybrid working principle. It can land on water and make a transition to land. It can move on land with its two independent wheels,” Solak explained.

Stating that it also has the capacity to carry “useful loads” such as fire extinguishers during operations, Solak said, “The UAV can carry a load of close to 2.5 kilograms. When we strengthen it, it can carry useful loads of up to 20 kilograms.”