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Auburn University Albatross (concept design)

Auburn Univeristy Albatross autonomous emergency response passenger eVTOL (concept design) aircraft

(Image credit: Vehicle Systems, Dynamics and Design Laboratory)

Albatross (concept design)
Vehicle Systems, Dynamics and Design Laboratory
Aerospace Engineering
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama, USA
www.vsddl.com

Founded in August 2018 by Dr. Imon Chakraborty, the Vehicle Systems, Dynamics and Design Laboratory is a research lab that focuses on aircraft systems, dynamics, control, flight simulation and incorporating these aspects into aircraft sizing and design. A flight vehicle, whether novel or conventional, is a central theme of the lab. The research team, consisting of Dr. Chakraborty, PhD seeking graduate students as well as undergraduate researchers, has designed multiple electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) and hybrid-electric VTOL concept designs for advanced air mobility (AAM).

Since the lab was founded, the research facility has received more than $1.7 million (USD) in externally funded research, including funding from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA and the United States Air Force (USAF) and is also collaborating with multiple industry partners.

The team won the GoAERO Stage 1 and Stage 2 award in 2025 and was one of 14 NASA University Innovation Award winners. The team's efforts will also help the nascent advance air mobility (AAM) industry to gain traction. The GoAero team lead is Imon Chakraborty, Ph.D. with team members, Cole McCormick, Stefanus Putra, Bikash Kunwar and Rajan Bhandari.

Albatross autonomous emergency response passenger eVTOL (concept design) aircraft
The Albatross is an autonomous emergency response eVTOL aircraft that can hold one patient and/or medical equipment. The aircraft has autonomous piloting with a minimum input from the ground crew. The aircraft has been designed to operate in unknown complex disaster environments and still meet FAA requirements.

The aircraft has eight propellers, eight electric motors and is powered by batteries. The propellers are fixed on the aircraft's tandem tilt-wings with three vertical stabilizers. The expected range of the aircraft is 1.6 km (9.9 m), has a predicted flight time of 30 minutes and has a calculated maximum altitude of 15 m (49 ft). The maximum payload weight ranges from 125 lb (57 kg) to 320 lb (145 kg) payload weight. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite to give the aircraft a high strength to low weight ratio.

About the GoAERO Prize Competition
The GoAERO Prize, sponsored by Boeing, is a three year competition (2024-2027) offering over $2 million USD in prizes that challenges engineers worldwide to create portable, versatile and autonomy-enabled Emergency Response Aircraft that address not only everyday medical emergencies but also to be used in natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and climate crises worldwide. Each team designs and builds autonomous Emergency Response aircraft capable of delivering a first responder, medical equipment and supplies and ultimately evacuating victims in need to a rescue ambulance or hospital.

More than 150 teams from around the globe are competing for the GoAero prizes. The GoFly and GoAERO prizes were developed by Boeing and other organizations to help the nascent advanced air mobility (AAM) industry move forward.

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Emergency response autonomous uncrewed eVTOL concept design aircraft
  • Piloting: Autonomous piloting with minimum input from ground crew. (GoAero mission requirement)
  • Capacity: Patient and/or medical supplies (GoAero mission requirement)
  • Cruise speed: Unknown
  • Range: 1.6 km (9.9 m) (GoAero mission requirement)
  • Flight time: 30 minutes (GoAero mission requirement)
  • Maximum altitude: Service ceiling 15 m (49 ft) (GoAero mission requirement)
  • Maximum payload weight: Minimum 125 lb (57 kg) to a maximum 320 lb (145 kg) payload weight. (GoAero mission requirement)
  • Propellers: 8 propellers
  • Electric motors: 8 electric motors
  • Power source: Batteries
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Wings: Tandem tilt-wings
  • Tail: 3 vertical stabilizers
  • Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. 

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