Zeroth Responder

During the outbreak of a fire or chemical spill, crucial time is lost as emergency workers rush to the scene. The current routes for reaching such situations are typically limited to roadways on which emergency vehicles must evade civilian traffic, slowing response time and allowing hazardous situations to develop unimpeded. In extreme circumstances, even more time is lost while rescue crews assess the risk at the scene before sending humans into potential danger. Enter the Zeroth Responder (0R), a human-operated drone which can circumvent ground-based obstructions and arrive on the scene even before the first responders. Once on-site it can perform reconnaissance on the source of danger and mitigate the hazard before humans approach. As such, it is fitted with the necessary equipment to be piloted remotely and to combat the emergency if necessary. The 0R airframe is based on a heavy-lift hexacopter architecture which enables it to carry a 20lb (10lb capacity) fire extinguisher or alternative chemical neutralizing agent, depending on the nature of the emergency. This canister is connected to a nozzle integrated into a 2-axis gimbal, giving the drone the ability to hover steadily in place while its human pilot operates the extinguisher independently. This feature will allow it to temporarily contain or stall the early progression of an emergency until the crews arrive. The canister is held in place and constrained by two mounting brackets which allow for quick removal and replacement of spent canisters. Additionally, the 0R is equipped with several emergency escape masks which it can drop to people who are trapped in the affected area. All features of the 0R are designed to attach symmetrically to the underside of an extruded PVC frame. This configuration places the drone’s center mass roughly at its geometric mean and its center of gravity well below the motor mounts, ensuring it is naturally in a state of stable equilibrium during flight. Weight efficiency is param