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Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter by Chen Xu

Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter by Chen Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Сребрна награда A' Design Award in Футуристички дизајн Competition Category.


СребрнаФутуристички· 2025

Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter

by Chen Xu

Client: Beihang University

Сребрна награда A' Design Award Winner in Футуристички Category

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The Design

About Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter

Skybridge je bespilotni helikopter dizajniran za dostavu tereta sa brodova na ostrva bez luka. Konstrukcija letelice prati aerodinamične forme morskih organizama radi smanjenja otpora vazduha i potrošnje energije. Paneli trupa izliveni su u jednom komadu od kompozitnih materijala, a unutrašnja struktura koristi karbonska vlakna, čime je postignuto smanjenje težine od 32 procenta. Sistem vešanja sa više kuka i vitla na donjem delu trupa omogućavaju nosivost od 260 kilograma na visinama do 6.000 metara i pri vetrovima od 12 metara u sekundi. Operateri sa pratećeg plovila daljinski upravljaju helikopterom, vođeni ugrađenim kamerama i senzorima.

The Recognition

About the Сребрна награда A' Design Award

Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter је добитник Сребрне награде A' Design Award, изузетно престижног признања које се додељује врхунским, предивним и импресивним дизајнима. Добитници Сребрне награде неизмерно су бриљантна и изузетно креативна дела која илуструју изузетну стручност, таленат и оштроумност својих дизајнера. Очекује се да Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter буде дивно, узорно дело, запажено професионално и дубоко иновативно. Овај дизајн награђен Сребрном наградом A' Design Award веома је запажен, дивљен изум који користи и помера границе уметности, науке, дизајна и технологије. Skybridge Bespilotni helikopter је творевина којој многи завиде, која буди жеље, доноси позитивна осећања и изазива чуђење и дивљење.

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.

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