Utrecht, 12 March 2024 - Today, Royal Jaarbeurs opens its doors to the ESEF Maakindustrie trade fair. With the theme 'The Makeability of Tomorrow', over 175 exhibitors will show in the coming days how the manufacturing industry deals with topics such as digitalisation, robotisation and sustainability. This edition features a first on the exhibition floor of a Dutch fire drone. The Almelo machine factory Boessenkool wants to conquer the world with mega-drones and is introducing the so-called FireFighting drone. It can be used to extinguish fires in poorly accessible places. Owner Eelco Osse of Boessenkool: "Where we can use technology, in this case drones, to prevent and solve human danger, we should very definitely not fail to do so. Technology makes our future."
Ricardo Vivas, exhibition manager ESEF Maakindustrie: "Developments in the field of drones are following each other in rapid succession, with innovation and technological progress as key words. We are extremely proud to be able to showcase the amazing innovation, the FireFighting drone, on our exhibition floor. The drone is hanging at the main entrance and can be found at our Innovation Square."
Extinguishing fires in hard-to-reach places
Machine factory Boessenkool's FireFighting drone has a longer range than an extinguishing fire engine and its little brother Drone4Logistics can deliver medicine to remote areas. Eelco Osse: "The call for fire safety and ultra-fast deployment is growing. Think, for example, of high apartment buildings and solar panel parks where fire engines and ladders can reach poorly or not at all. The Drone4 solution allows us to extinguish quickly, precisely and powerfully in the right place. We can even raise the water pressure to 15 bars." This latest drone is also interesting for other logistics applications, such as placing air conditioners on roofs where you can normally only get out with a mobile crane. Osse continues: "We recently successfully completed the test in which we flew with 150 kg of payload."
Hydrogen-powered drones
At Drone4, electrically powered drones have reached a critical point. With each additional battery, the total weight increases, resulting in a shorter flight time. Eelco Osse: "To address this issue, we are preparing to introduce the first drone with a hydrogen range-extender." A point to note is that developments in the field of drones are moving much faster than regulations regarding safety standards and requirements. Osse continues: "At European level, although there are clear regulations, which are usable up to 25 kg, above 25 kg it is all very difficult, if not impossible. In the Netherlands, additional requirements are added, making it unclear whether certain applications are allowed. The best solution is to have separate regulations for each sector with its own specific circumstances, to keep everything clear. It is being worked on, but unfortunately progress is slower than desired."
