eVTOL Student Design Competition Invites Proposals for Sponsorship

Aug. 24, 2021

The objective for this year’s SDC is to develop eVTOL designs that address passengers with reduced mobility.

Requests for proposal to participate in the Vertical Flight Society's 2021/2022 Student Design Competition (SDC) are now available. This year's event, sponsored by Bell, welcomes student teams from around the world to propose innovative design projects that fulfill this year's design objective: “eVTOL Air Taxi for Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM).” Teams who submit a request for proposal (RFP) that’s accepted will receive funds to complete their designs from the competition's sponsors through the Society.

The theme of accessibility arose from the recognition that electric propulsion technology is shaping a future for advanced air mobility (AAM). And, to realize its full potential, designers must begin to accommodate as broad a spectrum of travelers as possible, including persons with disabilities of all types. As a result, this year’s SDC will challenge student teams to design an all-electric eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft concept that addresses passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) and the unique requirements for such passengers.

Each winning team is awarded a cash stipend, while each of the first-place winning teams are invited to the Vertical Flight Society's Annual Forum and Technology Display to present the details of their designs. Final submissions will be judged in three categories: Undergraduate, Graduate, and Best First Time Entrant.

This event, one of several SDCs organized by the VFS, challenges students to design a vertical lift aircraft that meets specified requirements, as well as providing a practical exercise for engineering students. This includes last year’s SDC “2025 Unmanned Vertical Lift for Medical Equipment Distribution” sponsored by Boeing Co. The winners will be announced within the next couple of weeks

Letters of Intent (LOI) for the 2021/2022 competition are due February 1, 2022. Potential entrants can download the RFP form and instructions for detailed information and deadlines on the event page at VFS Student Design Competition. It’s also recommend that you read the white paper Student Design Competition on Judging. Student Teams also can attend the Creating an Accessible Future Flight Workshop taking place virtually on Sept. 8^th.

About the Author

Lee Goldberg | Contributing Editor

Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.

Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.

Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.

Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.

Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series.