Solution to win: Ukrainian volunteers create a ground drone to evacuate wounded soldiers

Two volunteers from western Ivano-Frankivsk create a ground drone to evacuate wounded warriors.

The radio-controlled device will accelerate up to 20 km/h and will be able to transport at least 150 kg, Suspilne reports.

What's the problem?

The Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions are under constant shelling by russian troops. In particular, heavy fighting is going on in the east of the country. Every day the enemy injures Ukrainian defenders.

It is difficult to evacuate the wounded, especially under constant shelling in hot spots. And there are not always enough cars for this, because they also quickly fail due to enemy's hits.

What's the solution?

Two volunteers from Prykarpattia region decided to create a drone to evacuate wounded soldiers. This is the second drone designed by two godfathers, Volodymyr Mussur and Roman Borynets.

"This request arose because a lot of acquaintances are fighting and we communicate with them. They say: "Let's go to the position, carry everything in our hands. I wish I could come up with something so that it would take care of itself." And we invented a drone," the volunteer Roman Borynets says.

The first device was sent to Ukrainian defenders in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The volunteers made the first drone at their own cost. It was worth approximately UAH 100,000. The godfathers say that at that time they did not dare to take money from people, because they had never done this before and they wanted to make sure that the invention would be successful.

How does it work?

Volodymyr Mussur describes the mechanism of the evacuation drone:

"There is a wounded man. The soldiers load him onto a drone, or he climbed out on by himself. We will also finish the body with belts, so that it is possible to graft or put stretchers. And the one who evacuates from a distance controls the drone to a safe zone."

Roman Borynets says the drone helps fighters deliver ammunition, food or water.

"The men are very satisfied. They sent us a video from an aerial drone of our ground drone transporting ammunition from position to position.

Because the line is shot through, and when they pick up something, they risk to be killed. As so the drone is sent – nothing will happen to it. It is not alive, but it does the work," Borynets says.

The volunteer says that they decided to improve the second drone.

Motorcycle wheels were installed instead of bicycle wheels. The men are currently working on the chassis of the drone to make it more mobile.

Volunteers will check whether the ground drone can handle more than 150 kg. The tests will be carried out after hiding the electronics in a box on the side.

Now the evacuation drone is 60% functional. In order to finish it as quick as possible, craftsmen come to work in the garage almost every day. The godfathers Volodymyr and Roman recall when the idea to create a ground drone arose. They were repairing a car for the military when news broke of an attack on the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol Bay by sea and air drones.

"So, he pondered and said: "Are there aerial drones? Are there marine drones? Yes. And why are there no ground drones? There is no such thing as budget. Let's do it?". I say: come on. And three of us say: "What the hell are you doing? Don't even think about it." I say: "Who is with me?". He answers: "I. We do This is a matter of principle," Volodymyr Mussur recounts the conversation.

People donated their money for the evacuation drone. Its cost is approximately UAH 80,000. When the volunteers finish their work and hand over the drone to the front, they will start creating the next one.

Wheels have already been purchased for it. But before tinkering with a new invention, the craftsmen want to wait for feedback from the military so that the next drone will be even better.