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AFR Drone
year​
​
spring 2017
collaborator​
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Flir systems
Strategic Design​
​
10 weeks
location​
​
umeå university
The last project of the year, which began with 5 study trips to different locations: firefighters, a farm, border patrol, ECU and the police precinct. Here we were on the look-out for problems that could be solved with infrared, as FLIR assigned us to find a new market that the company could enter with their infrared technology. Throughout the whole course we also had exercises in developing and following design language with a guest lecturer, Alex Liebert.
collaboration | about
flir systems ab
Worlds’ largest company designing and manufactoring infrared and imaging sensors for recreational, military, aviation and marine use.
To suggest a new market for FLIR Systems to enter, by finding a relevant problem and solving it by including infrared technology.
This method uses infrared sensors for seeing surface temperatures of objects, even in complete darkness. Due to this property, thermal imaging can also be used for nightvision.
Thermal imaging
field research
places visited
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Coast guard
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Police department
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Ambulance operators
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Fire station
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Local farm
chosen problem | first responders
patrolling officer, Umeå, Peter
“The biggest problem is that we communicate through radio and have no direct knowledge of the scene - only relying on the initial emergy call.”
issues with emergency calls
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The vitnesses on scene can be unreliable due to skewed memories caused by trauma or shock.
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The phone call often leaves the responders with little or wrong knowledge of the situation.
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The situation might change between the call and arrival of first personnel.
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Once there, it’s difficult to get and maintain a visual overview of the emergency situation.
proposed solution | Autonomous drones
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Live information within minutes
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Can reach difficult places
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Continous situation overview
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Easier to find people, liquids, fire
why autonomous drone
Cost drone + station
~500.000 SEK
Range radius
~15 km
Max. arrival time
4 min 30 sec
Total amount:
~250 M SEK
police spending on vehicles in 2016
Cost / police car:​
0.5 - 1 M SEK
New cars per year:
300 - 400 vehicles
4-5 drone stations could cover most of the city, for the cost of around 4-5 patrol cars.
Stockholm
ideation | strategic excercises
An exploration of the design language of Flir, their departments and their corresponding competitors, mapped on various boards.
visual expression mapping
V.E.M. Boards
This excercise was done in groups over two days, finding common themes and gaps in the visual expressions on relevant products.
An excercise where the envisioned design language is projected onto a cube and cylinder, which is then used as a reference when designing the final product.
common core
sketching and modelling
The drone's shape was difficult to sketch properly freehand, so models, illustrator and underlays were used to explore the form and details.
Result | details & features
Wingspan 1400 mm
Good stability, even in windy weather
Durable and safe (can lose one motor)
Long flight time (40-50 min)
Achieves high speeds (80-100 km/h)
Large lifting capacity
why hexacopter
HD Camera
FLIR infrared
Crucial information
Combined with the fast arrival times, these three aids help first responders make informed decisions.
FLIR nightvision
Time benefit
As seen below, in most cases the drone arrives several minutes before a patrol vehicle. These minutes can be vital in emergency situations and help make relevant decisions.
6.1 km
1 min 40 sec
7-8 minutes
4.3 km
2 min 35 sec
6-7 minutes
Urban area: ~6 minutes
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Distance:
Drone:
Patrol car:
On highway: ~4 minutes
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Distance:
Drone:
Patrol car:
Prolonged lifespan
The docking station is climate controlled to battle harsh weather and long inactivity.
The docking station is designed with a small footprint and hard to reach active area. This helps position the drone in the best strategical place possible.
docking station
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