Show-Me State Times

In St. Louis, students from the AirCRAFT Lab at Saint Louis University are engaged in creating an emergency response flyer designed to enhance disaster relief efforts. This vehicle is being developed to carry both responders and supplies into areas severely affected by natural catastrophes or humanitarian crises.

According to Srikanth Gururajan, Ph.D., the associate professor of aerospace engineering and faculty advisor of AirCRAFT Lab, “We are building something that will be able to deliver aid to people in a post-disaster situation. This will allow faster triage in situations where it is harder to get larger vehicles in and out.”

The team's flyer is designed as an autonomous drone, capable of being piloted remotely through virtual reality, which member Mia Arndt describes as “like an air taxi – the person in the flyer doesn’t have to pilot it. They can get in and go.”

This project aligns with the goals of the GoAERO Prize, an international contest challenging engineering teams to develop versatile and autonomous emergency response flyers. The prize aims to tackle global challenges such as growing natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies by encouraging the development of portable and effective aerial vehicles.

Saint Louis University's team, consisting of aerospace engineering seniors, is among the successful participants in the first stage of the competition. They have advanced with 13 other teams from universities and non-university entities, chosen from over 150 teams worldwide.

The single-passenger flyer under development at the AirCRAFT Lab can deliver emergency supplies and facilitate first responder access in critical locations, particularly where bigger vehicles cannot reach. As Ian Roudebush, a team member, emphasized, “We work together – when one of us succeeds, we all succeed.”

The flyer is in its prototype stage, currently a one-third scale model measuring six feet, designed to carry approximately six pounds of payload, including boxes of Girl Scout cookies for initial test flights planned for the summer.

The student team, led by individuals like Roudebush and Ian Roudebush, began the project in the previous year, submitting a design report in December and securing Stage 1 of NASA’s University Innovation Project in February. Over the course of their work, they overcame challenges related to flight control and navigating obstacles.

Highlighting their process, team member Zach Conti noted, “This had its own unique requirements, and we needed to refine what we knew.” The competition will continue with further evaluations, and successful teams may receive additional financial rewards.

Moving forward, the team's design will face a fly-off in September, and the finalists will compete again in early 2027, with additional prize money available. "This wasn’t a shot in the dark," Conti stated. "We knew we could do it."

GoAERO is focused on inspiring innovative flight solutions for urgent responses to disasters, with the ultimate aim of forming a robust network connecting different sectors to utilize these technologies effectively.

The competition, which launched in 2024, plans to distribute over $2 million in prizes to competitive teams over a three-year journey. Participants will receive mentorship, exposure, and essential resources aligned with this initiative.