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The GoAero prize contest, launched in February, aims to spur the development of a compact, autonomy-enabled rescue aircraft that is both safe and simple to fly. The competition will award more than $2 million to its winners, with Honeywell Aerospace recently joining over 30 other sponsors.
GoAero CEO and founder Gwen Lighter initiated the nonprofit organization with a mission to save lives. Her inspiration stemmed from a personal experience where her father's emergency transport was delayed due to traffic congestion. "I remember saying over and over again, ‘Can you please move, can you please move?’” she recalled. “I wanted the roads to be clear so that my father could get to the hospital on time.” Although her father survived, Lighter noted that similar delays occur globally every day.
To address this issue, the GoAero prize seeks solutions for quickly transporting first responders or patients when ground transport is not feasible. The envisioned vehicle would function as an "emergency response flyer," positioned between a helicopter and a drone in terms of capabilities. While helicopters are effective but costly and require pilots, drones are limited by their small payload capacity. “GoAero is asking teams around the world to create [an emergency response flyer]…to deliver that first responder to someone in need, to extricate someone who needs help, or to deliver goods, supplies, or services,” Lighter explained.
