Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम् by Chen Xu

Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम् by Chen Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award रजतपुरस्कारः in भविष्यकालीन अभिकल्पना Competition Category.

रजतम्भविष्यकालीनम्· 2025

Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम्

by Chen Xu

Client: Beihang University

A' Design Award रजतपुरस्कारः Winner in भविष्यकालीनम् Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम्

स्काइब्रिज् इति मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम् अस्ति, यत् पोताश्रयरहितेषु द्वीपेषु नौकाभ्यः भारवहनार्थं परिकल्पितम्। अस्य वायुयानस्य संरचना समुद्रजीविनां धारारेखितरूपाणि अनुसरति, येन वायुप्रतिरोधः ऊर्जाव्ययश्च न्यूनीभवति। यानकायस्य फलकानि संयुक्तपदार्थैः एकखण्डरूपेण निर्मितानि सन्ति, आन्तरिकसंरचना च कार्बनतन्तुनिर्मिता, येन भारस्य द्वात्रिंशत् प्रतिशतं न्यूनीकरणं जातम्। बहु-अङ्कुशयुक्तं निलम्बनं अधोभागस्थाः भारोत्तोलनयन्त्राणि च ६००० मीटरपर्यन्तं उच्चतासु प्रतिसेकण्डं १२ मीटरवेगयुक्तेषु वायुषु च २६० किलोग्रामपरिमितं भारवहनं सम्भावयन्ति। सहायकनौकास्थाः चालकाः यानस्थैः कैमरायन्त्रैः संवेदकैश्च मार्गदर्शिताः दूरतः एव हेलिकॉप्टरयानं नियन्त्रयन्ति।

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award रजतपुरस्कारः

Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम् A' Design Award रजतपुरस्कारस्य विजेता अस्ति; अयम् अत्यसाधारणतया प्रतिष्ठितः सम्मानः सर्वोच्चश्रेणीयेभ्यः सुन्दरेभ्यः प्रभावशालिभ्यश्चाभिकल्पेभ्यो दीयते। रजतविजेतारोऽतितेजस्विन्योऽत्यन्तं सृजनशीलाश्च कृतयः सन्ति, ताः स्वाभिकल्पकानाम् उत्कृष्टां विशेषज्ञतां प्रतिभां सूक्ष्मप्रज्ञां च प्रदर्शयन्ति। Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम् अद्भुतं प्रदर्शनीयं कार्यम् उल्लेखनीयतया व्यावसायिकं गम्भीरनवोन्मेषयुक्तं च भविष्यतीति प्रत्याशा क्रियते। A' Design Award रजतपुरस्कारं जितवद् एतद् अभिकल्पकार्यम् अतीवोल्लेखनीयः प्रशंसित आविष्कारोऽस्ति, यो लाभं ददाति कलाया विज्ञानस्याभिकल्पस्य प्रौद्योगिक्याश्च सीमा विस्तारयति च। Skybridge मानवरहितं हेलिकॉप्टरयानम् बहुभिरीर्ष्यमाणा सृष्टिरस्ति, या कामना उद्बोधयति, सकारात्मकभावान् आनयति, विस्मयस्य आश्चर्यस्य च स्फुलिङ्गान् प्रज्वालयति।

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Designed for cargo delivery to portless islands, this helicopter overcomes geographical barriers. Its biomechanically optimized airframe, multi-hook suspension, and intelligent undercarriage winches achieve a 260kg payload capacity—operating reliably at 6,000m altitude and 12m/s winds, redefining aerial logistics for extreme environments.
Dimensions & Packaging: with rotor: 3786X3600X1330mm
without rotor:2660X1054X950mm
Tags: Civil Drone, Product Design, Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Unmanned Helicopter, Maritime Transport
Production Technology: The manufacturing process integrates the modular assembly concept of the naval industry, and adopts composite materials to realize one-piece molding of the fuselage covering parts. The internal structure uses carbon fiber materials to achieve a 32% breakthrough in lightweight, which significantly improves the carrying efficiency. The streamlined aerodynamic design is modeled after marine life, which ensures the structural strength and effectively reduces the operational energy consumption.
Design Challenge: Balancing the societal need for efficient island resupply with minimizing environmental impact and complying with UAV regulations proved challenging. Developing a safe, reliable unmanned system with the required payload and capture capabilities required extensive research and design iterations.
Research: This design analyzes the efficient movement mechanism of marine organisms through bionic methods, focusing on the hydrodynamic curves and their energy transfer modes when fish swim. Combined with computational fluid dynamics simulation and 3D scanning modeling technology, the bio-evolutionary advantages of marine organisms, such as drag-reducing characteristics, are transformed into UAV engineering parameters.
Inspiration: This unmanned helicopter is designed for cargo transport from ships to portless islands. Maritime operational demands inspired its biomimetic approach, translating marine organisms' hydrodynamic efficiency into aerospace engineering. The streamlined fuselage curvature and rotor system synergy originate from analyzing oceanic lifeforms' drag-resistant structures.
Project Duration: The project started in January 2024 in Beijing and finished in February 2025 in Beijing.
Operation Flow: Operators on a support vessel remotely control the helicopter, using onboard cameras and sensors for real-time visual feedback. The operators identify and control helicopter to capture the cargo, providing a secure and damage-free delivery method compared to direct airdrops.
Team Members: Chen Xu
Wu Fangbo
Dr. Wang Lijing
Dr. Zhang Rong
Cai Tianyang
Zhang jun
Image Credits: Image #1: Creator sxdesign, 2025. Optional Image #1: Creator sxdesign, 2025. Optional Image #2: Creator sxdesign, 2025. Optional Image #3: Creator sxdesign, 2025. Optional Image #4: Creator sxdesign, 2025.