Unmanned Systems Technology 026 I Tecdron TC800-FF I Propellers I USVs I AUVSI 2019 part 1 I Robby Moto UAVE I Singular Aircraft FlyOx I Teledyne SeaRaptor I Simulation & Testing I Ocean Business 2019 report

26 speeding up the process of swapping between them. Driven by an integral 20.8 hp Honda GX630 petrol engine, the Easy 2000 can flow 220,000 m 3 of air per hour with its 85.55 cm-diameter propeller, and its 18 litre fuel tank can keep it running for a little over 3 hours. On its skid mount, the fan system weighs 178 kg. When configured for evacuating casualties, the TC800-FF can carry bottles of medical gases on the main payload deck with a stretcher mounted above them on brackets fixed to the corners of the deck. The robot can also tow other vehicles including cars or push people carriers aside using rubber-tipped bumpers mounted to the chassis on steel brackets, and also mounts a winch at the front below the payload deck. Design and testing Mammana says, “The TC800-FF and the Scarab TX may look alike but that’s all they have in common.” Highlighting the key differences between the Scarab TX and the TC800-FF, he points to the latter’s brushless DC motors, new batteries, a new structure and mechanical architecture, and embedded software developed in-house to enable Tecdron to offer options and services both within and beyond firefighting. One of the most important design criteria was the ability to carry heavy loads. This drove the selection of a tubular steel chassis and of tracks rather than wheels to distribute the load evenly through the structure and onto the ground respectively, as well as the choice of the motors. The design process from which the hardware architecture emerged was guided by a thorough review of what Tecdron had done before and of customer feedback on earlier vehicles, the Scarab TX in particular. “We entirely reworked the platform in order to improve its performance and reliability, and used new technologies,” says mechanical engineer Romain Chaumier. This phase lasted about six months and included drawing the chassis in SolidWorks CAD software, and calculating and simulating parameters such as rolling resistance – an important determinant of the energy required for propulsion – using the simulation capabilities in SolidWorks. From starting the first drawings to completing the assembly of the first prototype took Tecdron almost a year. A subsequent testing and refinement phase lasted about six months, during which the engineering team checked that the TC800- FF complied with firefighters’ needs. Simplified manufacture The manufacture of earlier platforms such as Scarab TX relied heavily on machining processes, which Mammana says were costly and not well-suited to the technical constraints that apply to the TC800-FF. “Machining is perfect for creating June/July 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology The TC800-FF supports payloads on an aluminium deck that includes mounting points for the adapter plates that carry the payloads themselves (Courtesy of Tecdron) The monitor and the tube that connects it to the hose are attached to the deck using quick-release pins (Courtesy of Tecdron)