This radio-controlled helicopter is being offered as a prize by Italian safety equipment manufacturer Aero Sekur to promote its new helicopter crash protection system, which uses technology developed for landings on Mars.
The system combines shock absorbers and airbags as part of an integrated package for helicopter survival, which the company says will increase crew survival rates in the event of forced landings on land or water.
Parts of the system were originally developed for the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars programme to bring Mars probes safely to rest on the red planet's surface.
Giacomo Giovangrossi, space business unit director, says experience gained in producing flotation bags over the last 30 years were combined with airbag technology transferred from its space division.
The system protects the rotorcraft and minimises airframe damage, and facilitates production of lighter helicopters, which have both enhanced performance and crash survivability, says Aero Sekur.
Source: Flight Daily News
