Hey everyone. Got laid off due to DOGE early in 2025. Took some time to learn CAD and the basics of aerospace engineering design. Spent some time designing this drone. I am looking for people to collaborate with, whether that’s design work, testing work, or marketing work. It is a pretty fun project but I only have about 15-20 hrs a week I am able to consistently dedicate to it outside of work.
I was inspired by the response to Hurricane Helene. Reading reports on the ground it sounded like the people in larger towns like Asheville were doing ok, but people in more remote areas were totally screwed due to the isolated nature of some of the small towns in Appalachia. I think as climate change continues, the federal government will continue to retreat from areas that don’t have much capital/can’t contribute resources to the coffers of empire.
Current SAR (search and rescue) drone models are so expensive that they are inaccessible to individuals. What if you could just build your own with some hobbyist materials, for $200, with almost no prior experience?
Anyways, the project isn’t done yet. I need to finish the build guide and bill of materials, and record some flight video, and record statistics about flight time and performance, and add FPV and add autonomy and… you can see why I am looking for contributors.