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Cambodian students build manned drone to aid community


PHNOM PENH: Inspired at first by a desire to beat their city's notorious traffic, a group of Cambodian students have designed a prototype drone that they hope can eventually be used to ferry people around Phnom Penh and even help fight fires.

With eight propellers and using a school chair for the pilot's seat, the drone was developed by students at the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC) on the outskirts of the capital.

"The drone, when we see it flying without a pilot, there is a lot of shaking but when I sit on it and fly ... it becomes more stable and I feel so excited," said Lonh Vannsith, 21, the pilot of the drone.

"We wanted to solve some problems for our society by making a taxi drone and ... inventing drones for firefighters," he said, noting how, for example, they hoped it could reach the upper floors of a building to bring a hose where a fire truck could not reach.

The prototype can carry a pilot weighing up to 60kg and fly for about 10 minutes for a distance of 1km. It took three years of research and development and cost around US$20,000 to build.

While the team hopes it will eventually fly far higher, when manned the drone currently only rises to as much as 4m.

The project faced delays because of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and also as components like the propellers and the frame had to be ordered abroad, said Sarin Sereyvatha, who is NPIC's head of research and development technology.


The team plans to improve the design to allow it to take more weight, as well as fly further and more stably at a higher level.

"In principle, if we make one drone, the cost is expensive but if we make them to sell on the market, the cost will go down," said Sarin Sereyvatha.

Those little red chairs can barely hold up a drunk, they expect someone to sit in one while it's flying through the air?

Its nice to see some really impressive tech like this being developed here. Hopefully in future there can be some practical use for it.

canucklhead wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am Its nice to see some really impressive tech like this being developed here. Hopefully in future there can be some practical use for it.

Pretty sure it’s been invented already as they sourced all the parts, including the frame, from overseas (ie China).
It seems all they did was add a red chair and say they hope to go really high and put out fires, but only for 10 minutes (which a km radius it’d take 10 mins to get there).

All good though. Gets their brains working.

mannanman wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:38 am

canucklhead wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am Its nice to see some really impressive tech like this being developed here. Hopefully in future there can be some practical use for it.

Pretty sure it’s been invented already as they sourced all the parts, including the frame, from overseas (ie China).
It seems all they did was add a red chair and say they hope to go really high and put out fires, but only for 10 minutes (which a km radius it’d take 10 mins to get there).

All good though. Gets their brains working.

And at a 60 kg. weight limit for 10 minutes at 4m, I think their projected flights won't last nearly that long. After all, how much help can 60 kg. (3 of those 20L blue canisters) of water be to a building that's already engulfed in flames??

This is super exciting. Surely nothing new in the military field, but price of component and availability make it affordable for general public.
I am a professional drone pilot, and I discovered fpv a year ago, since then I have built 4 drones. Nothing as big as the one mentioned above.
but I am very enthusiast with this project and wish them good luck and yes drone are used a lot in different industries
It doesn't take out the long process to outsource, built, tune, fly and crash...

spielben wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:52 pm This is super exciting. Surely nothing new in the military field, but price of component and availability make it affordable for general public.
I am a professional drone pilot, and I discovered fpv a year ago, since then I have built 4 drones. Nothing as big as the one mentioned above.
but I am very enthusiast with this project and wish them good luck and yes drone are used a lot in different industries
It doesn't take out the long process to outsource, built, tune, fly and crash...

Is drone pilot an actual job or is it like an Instagrammer or youtuber, unless you’re a military drone pilot?

“Car” a Trabant without engine.