Elroy Air is a startup dedicated to pioneering autonomous aerial cargo delivery, with the goal of making it ubiquitous. The Elroy Air Chaparral is their second generation aircraft that they are developing to achieve this goal. The Chaparral can navigate to pick up a cargo pod, take off vertically, transition to normal flight, fly to its destination, land vertically, and drop off its cargo pod, all autonomously. It features a hybrid gas and electric power system, and two LiDAR sensor suites for detecting its surroundings and avoiding obstacles.
Linda Bui and I worked with Elroy Air to develop a series of stylized animated videos showcasing three possible scenarios that the Chaparral can provide value. The first is the commercial use case, where the Chaparral serves as an aerial link between shipping warehouses. The second is the defense use case, where the Chaparral can deliver supplies to remote military staging areas. The third is the humanitarian use case, where the Chaparral can be used to deliver aid and supplies to disaster areas where land access is difficult or impossible.
These videos are helping Elroy Air to illustrate the value the Chaparral can bring to potential customers and investors, as well as educating people on the functionality of the aircraft.