Bold claim: emergency rescue tech is about to be rewritten, and Ohio State is leading the way with a groundbreaking flying helper for first responders. But here’s where it gets controversial: can a compact, autonomous drone truly stand in for human pilots in life-or-death evacuations?
A team at The Ohio State University is pushing the envelope with STUART, a Small Transportable Uncrewed Aerial Rescue Technology flight vehicle developed by The Sloopy Works. Thegoal: participate in the GoAERO Prize, a three-year international contest designed to spur new medical aircraft ideas that help responders save lives. In the process, the team set a new OSU milestone.
STUART weighs 120 pounds and spans nearly 8 feet, making it the heaviest drone in OSU’s history to achieve vertical takeoff and independent flight. As a prototype, it represents about one-third of the footprint of a full-scale model, yet it carries a total lifted weight roughly 70% higher than the university’s 2017 world-speed-record autonomous drone.
Kevin Disotell, a research scientist in OSU’s mechanical and aerospace engineering department and the team’s director, noted, “What usually takes an aerospace company five or more years to develop from scratch, we accomplished in under a year.” He highlighted the team’s resilience in delivering a functional flying machine so rapidly.
The GoAERO Prize consists of three stages with a total prize pool of $2 million. Stage 1 required an aircraft design submission. In Stage 2, teams had to validate the concept by executing a 100-foot flight carrying a small payload. Stage 3, which is scheduled to begin in 2027, will culminate in a NASA Ames Research Center fly-off where vehicles must carry a 125-pound manikin through an obstacle course designed to test skills relevant to real-world drone missions.
The top performer can win $1 million, while OSU is among 14 U.S. universities to receive concept-building funding from NASA’s University Innovation project, which backs university-led research into transformative technologies.
Self-flying machines can be invaluable for overcoming barriers, surveying dangerous scenes, or reaching remote areas inaccessible to humans. In the U.S., more than 4.5 million people live in “ambulance deserts,” where emergency care could take 25 minutes or longer. Advanced drones have the potential to deliver rapid aid and life-saving supplies—bandages, medicines, blood bags—to these vulnerable communities.
However, autonomous tech isn’t flawless. Drones may struggle with certain components of a rescue mission, so scientists aim to create aircraft that blend the agility of small surveillance drones with the reach of large rescue helicopters, while also addressing pilot shortages in rural regions.
“This project matters not only in Ohio but globally because we’re solving technical challenges with real-world impact on families,” Disotell said. “There are few things more heartbreaking than needing an air evacuation and not having a helicopter available.”
STUART honors Stuart Roberts, an Ohio State College of Medicine professor from the 1960s who pioneered the world’s first hospital-based medical helicopter rescue program. The design emphasizes portability and vertical takeoff and landing, diverging from traditional helicopters. Its propellers are enclosed in ducts for safety, and onboard computers handle real-time flight control without a human pilot.
During a flight test at OSU’s airport on a cloudy day last year, STUART reached the 100-foot mark, stayed about 23 feet above ground, and averaged roughly 3.4 feet per second. The test produced valuable engineering data that the team will share with the broader research community.
The Sloopy Works plan to present their flight results at the AIAA Aviation Forum in June, where teams showcase prototypes to peers. Adversities along the way proved inspiring to many team members. Aditya Chittari, the group’s president and a graduate student in mechanical and aerospace engineering, reflected, “Building an aircraft for real patients is a responsibility we embraced, and the experience showed me how design components must converge.”
Although the Stage 2 prizes did not go to OSU this time, continued participation is allowed even without a Stage 2 win, and the team remains determined to push forward.
Chittari added, “We’re deeply committed to our future goals and will keep pursuing ways to make a meaningful impact.”
Funding for the project came from Farva Technology LLC.
Note: The content originates from Mirage News and reflects the point-in-time reporting, with edits for clarity, style, and length.
