We were asked by The Drone Company to make a sleigh that could be fixed to one of their drones for Vodafone to control the first UK drone drop, remote gift delivery, entirely over their 4G mobile network. The sleigh had to be less than 10 kilos, and include a box that could hold gifts.
We knew that this would be a challenge, so we provided the client with drawings of a prototype that helped us work out how to make it work.
After a few tweaks and design input from the end client, we began by sculpting the main shape in polystyrene.
We had to make sure that the weight didn’t go over 10 kilos, and also making sure that our sleigh fit snugly into the drone.
We were aware of the weight issue, especially once we had fitted everything to it, and especially with a box underneath, which had to be waterproof and have a hinged door.
The sleigh ready to be hard-coated with a thin fibreglass tissue to protect it and also give a nice smooth finish.
Hard-coating made the sleigh durable and weatherproof and gave a nice smooth finish, but more importantly, kept the weight down.
The day of the first flight. The sleigh was painted with Vodafone’s red colour with printed vinyl and LED lights to give it a Christmassy feel.
Success! The drone and sleigh working in perfect harmony.
Watch the video of our sleigh drone flying over Portland Bill on the South coast and delivering, below.
