At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) has unveiled a bespoke version of its new Land Rover Discovery designed for use the Austrian Red Cross.
Called ‘Project Hero’, the so-called "advanced communication vehicle" comes with a roof-mounted drone and a landing system with self-centring and magnetic retention technology that lets the drone land on Project Hero when the vehicle is moving.
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As the drone flies, live footage is transmitted to the Red Cross’s emergency response teams, helping them respond to landslides, earthquakes, floods and avalanches. The drone’s bird’s-eye view will particularly allow rescuers to investigate an emergency scene from a safe distance.
Project Hero was created to support Jaguar Land Rover’s partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It is based on the 3.0-litre TD6 engine-powered version of the new Land Rover Discovery. The car will be based at the Austrian Red Cross training centre in Erzberg, and in Vienna, for 12 months from June 2017.
Heavy-duty sliding floor: Located in the rear load space, this floor may be deployed as an addition work surface, or to protect the load carried underneath.
Segregation panel: This panel, behind the rear seats providing additional equipment mounting points.
**LED lighting to aid night vision **: Power supply points accept multiple plugs from different regions.
Radio equipment: Project Hero is also equipped with multiple frequency radio equipment enabling contact to be made in a variety of situations.
The Project Hero drone can be controlled using a tablet app that allows the driver and car's occupants to monitor their surroundings as they drive. It will be used in simulations to develop new techniques for disaster relief and on test-runs for complex natural disaster scenarios. Project Hero will also be used when the Red Cross provides emergency support at times of natural disasters, such as heavy snow or floods, or accidents.
“Land Rover and the team of engineers and designers at SVO are proud to support the incredible humanitarian work of the IFRC and its members," said John Edwards, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations managing director. “Project Hero is the optimum combination of enhanced capability and innovative technology. We hope to help the Red Cross save lives in emergency situations."
Land Rover claims the partnership is the world's first, but Ford previously unveiled a truck with a built-in drone, while Mercedez-Benz and Startship Technologies announced a fleet of delivery trucks carrying drones.
Empty weight: 2,700g **Max take-off weight:**7,200g Payload capacity: 5,500g (including battery/sensors) Transmit and receive range: 1km **Flight time:**20 minutes **Rotor diameter:**15in **Maximum speed:**33.5mph
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
