Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FOTOKITE-SME-P1 (Aerial Situational Awareness for Every Firefighter)

Teaser

Summary of the action context and objectivesFotokite is a privately-owned SME (registered in 2014 as Perspective Robotics AG in Zurich, Switzerland). Fotokite’s mission is to develop and commercialize tethered Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to improve safety and lifesaving...

Summary

Summary of the action context and objectives

Fotokite is a privately-owned SME (registered in 2014 as Perspective Robotics AG in Zurich, Switzerland). Fotokite’s mission is to develop and commercialize tethered Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to improve safety and lifesaving capabilities for firefighters and public safety teams. Fotokite systems fly autonomously and stream live thermal video to firefighters on the ground, providing mission-critical situational awareness to help lifesaving operations. Fotokite systems operate hands-free for 24+ hours and without GPS dependency, overshadowing modern drones with significantly less autonomy and shorter flight times. Fotokite can quickly and effectively turn that data into actionable insights and more efficient response to large-scale fires and disaster situations. Fotokite aims at bringing public safety dedicated UAS to the next level in four emergency areas: Scene Monitoring, Search and Rescue, Post Fire or Disaster Assessment, and Wildland Firefighting.

Fotokite’s value proposition to firefighting and public safety teams is unlimited flight time, automatic piloting, easy usability, low training thresholds, industrial quality and performance, fire truck integration compatibility, and live streamed thermal and visual video information for immediate on-site decision making and operational planning.

Work performed

In 2019, a number of new Fotokite systems have been installed in fire engines, command vehicles, and fire chief SUVs for real-world use in firefighting and public safety operations. These systems have been evaluated by customers and actively used in live fire responses, search & rescue missions, and training programs. Customers have confirmed that Fotokite systems will be compatible with 100 percent of current and future fire engines with at least one of the newly-developed packaging configuration options.

Final results

Fotokite is aimed to improve extended fire safety aligned with the European Parliament’s Fire Safety mission and with the upcoming trends. The national fire and rescue administrations in the EU countries are lagging behind in the adaptation of data acquisition and sensor-based technologies. Improved data recording would enable better statistics, forecast, and emergency management readiness. The use of autonomous robotics and automatic analysis tools will be a key trend that will drive the tethered UAS market growth at a CAGR of over 70 percent during the 2019-2024 period.

Website & more info

More info: http://fotokite.com.