Requirement Analysis for an Aerial Relay in Emergency Response Missions

First aid of patients at the scene of an emergency requires an adequate flow of information. The publicly funded research project MOMENTUM aims at seamlessly connecting the point of care to the hospital. An unmanned aerial vehicle serving as a network relay may help in cases of limited or no mobile wireless connection, e.g. due to topographical circumstances. The aerial system may also provide situational awareness in cases of mass casualty incidents. For these two defined use-cases, safety and stability considerations are discussed, and required flight times and payloads are defined. The relay can be connected to the ground via a cable or wireless connection. It is concluded that the use-cases can be realized best when using a multicopter-either combined with a cable for independent flight times and reliable data communication or a wireless solution to mitigate the risk from the increased payload while limiting flight time. For the first option, the payload of the aircraft should be adjusted to ensure the power consumption in hover matches the power limitation of the cable.