Into the Dragons' Den

BY REBECCA QUILLIAM

Thirteen intrepid innovators faced seven judges in the recent Dragons’ Den-style Air Force Innovation Challenge.

The panel heard submissions ranging from robotic storage solutions, drones used for aircraft inspections, a tiny house proposal, using aviation fuel for cooking, cleaning up the Air Force’s carbon footprint, and an autonomous vehicle delivery system. The autonomous vehicle* won the day, but the judges were blown away by all the creative innovations presented to them. We take a look at just a few of the submissions.

WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE

“Sun Tzu once said, ‘The line between disorder and order lies in logistics’.” This was how Aircraftman Johan Kloeg opened his presentation to the Air Force Innovation Challenge judging panel about investing in a storage space that holds 30,000 boxes that are stacked and managed by robots.

The concept earned him the Dragons’ Choice Award for embracing the spirit of innovation.

“What you’ve described is what the future looks like,” Chief of Air Force (CAF) Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Andrew Clark said after the panel had deliberated.

“We think your idea shows good promise. Clearly something like this has a wider application across the NZDF.”

Aircraftman (AC) Kloeg’s proposal involved the concept of efficient storage that would guarantee faster delivery, good condition and security of aircraft parts to fix aircraft in a timely fashion.

He discovered the cube robotic picking and storage model after being challenged by his command to look into robotic storage solutions.

“I came across the option I presented to the board. I felt pretty excited at that moment, I thought ‘This could be something that we could do’.”

The option was called AutoStore – a large square storage space where up to 30,000 containers would be kept stacked on top of each other with no space in between and managed by robots that pick up and deliver the exact box needed.

“It would cost about $4 million to implement. I was expecting about $10 – $20 million,” AC Kloeg said.

“I wondered about incorporating it into the existing building, but the system goes quite high. Our existing buildings are not fit for purpose, they’ve been around since World War II.”

Being awarded the Dragons’ Choice Award was a pleasant surprise, he said.

“I didn’t realise there was another award. I was really keen to see how CAF would take it. He set up a path for the idea to happen, and I also got to speak with Chief Joint Defence Services about it, which went really well.”

AVM Clark said it was a “future vision piece that is pretty bold”.

“It’s what we should be looking at. We were really impressed.”

AERIAL INSPECTIONS

A fear of heights prompted Safety Advisor Gill McFarlane to devise an innovation for Uninhabited Aerial Systems (UAS) to carry out maintenance inspections of the top of aircraft.

Her proposal in the Dragons’ Den was for operators to fly UAS near large aircraft to look for defects including dents, pulled rivets, bird strike evidence and unsecured latches.

“From a personnel point of view it would mean putting our personnel in less dangerous situations. Inspections on aircraft take quite a lot of time, so by reducing the time people have to go up high, the likelihood of people falling off a stand, or a stand damaging the aircraft, is reduced.”

The UAS would also be faster to set up over a slow-moving elevated work platform, she said.

“Doing the inspections would also be quicker than moving stands around, which should increase aircraft availability.”

Currently, scaffolding around the aircraft takes two days to set up and bring down.

Mrs McFarlane admitted to feeling nerves in front of the panel of judges, but because she was so passionate about the idea and knew her material inside and out, the presentation flowed easily.

Following the judges’ deliberation, Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Andrew Clark told Mrs McFarlane to “just do it”.

“It just makes sense. Our advice is to try not to make it too big a project at the start. Get the blockages out of the way and then grow it out from there.”

AVM Clark also advised Mrs McFarlane chat with the Australian Air Force, which used UAS for inspections, and find out lessons they had learned.

A GREEN AIR FORCE

Introducing hydrogen technology to the Air Force’s aircraft and vehicles would go a long way to contribute to the country’s goal of being net carbon zero by 2050, Warrant Officer John Phillips told the Innovation Challenge panel.

“Air Force personnel should start discussing ways of de-carbonising our activities. The idea needs to take a foothold in our thinking when we come to replace or upgrade vehicles and equipment, and how we think about acquiring and using sources of energy.

“Our ranks are full of young and smart people who can take the concept of de-carbonisation into the future,” Warrant Officer (W/O) Phillips said.

The task for the leadership was to facilitate the change coherently to reduce our carbon footprint while maintaining the tempo of air operations, he said. “

Once hydrogen fuel technologies adhere to a set of common standards and infrastructure becomes commonplace nationally and worldwide, then long-lifespan solutions can be embedded within Air Force systems.”

When the Innovation Challenge was calling for submissions, W/O Phillips started looking at where the technology was taking the world and what stage it was at.

“I was quite surprised how hydrogen was starting to develop very quickly to complement batteries and low-carbon technologies.”

Changes were already being discussed at a practical level, with the Maintenance Support Squadron at Ohakea investigating a hydrogenpowered shower unit, W/O Phillips said.

“I think reducing reliance on fossil fuels is trending at the moment. It won’t go away automatically because our larger aircraft are using kerosene - at the moment we can’t buy a hydrogenpowered plane – but the technology is coming.”

Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Andrew Clark said W/O Phillips had tackled one of the biggest topics of all.

“You’ve basically come in here and solved climate change, which was a bigger innovation than I was expecting to see.”

There needed to be a “top down” response to set plans in place as well as a “bottom up” movement to encourage organic processes, AVM Clark said.

“We want to invite you to join the Climate Change Working Group. There needs to be one approach to climate change. We are going to have a think about how we can encourage the grass roots thinking.”

“I think the Air Force can do it if there is a will to change and I think the change will come from the bottom up as new technologies are introduced and come onto the market, people will see them as viable alternatives.”

ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE

Using unused aviation fuel straight from the aircraft in field cookers, while on deployment in austere environments, will result in a more efficient mission and remove the need to buy fuel from the locals.

The innovation was presented by Corporal (CPL) Fraser Mewburn, who had been thinking about different ways to guarantee personnel could eat while on deployment.

He knew Avtur fuel used in aircraft was kerosene-based and could be compatible with field cookers.

“One night I experimented with different fuel types and a cooker to see what would and would not burn in it. I succeeded in getting Avtur to burn in it.

On his next deployment, following the revelation, CPL Mewburn didn’t bring fuel for the cookers and instead used Avtur. The decision mitigated the risk to the packet commander, due to the potential of delayed flights or rejected consignments based on personal interpretation of doctrine. This meant an increase in the type of cargo that could be transported to include items that couldn’t travel near fuel.

“It increased the efficiency of the frame. It also enabled us to ask the maintainers to give us a couple of litres when they did the fuel drain. We cooked over it for a number of weeks.”

If the idea was formally adopted, it would mean airmen, soldiers and sailors would no longer need to purchase their own field cooking appliance and using the current in-service issued one, would ensure the use of any readily available fuel type, he said.

“It gives you a huge amount of flexibility. It also means we’re not a burden on the locals’ existing supplies, especially in a HADR (Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief) situation.”

CPL Mewburn gave his presentation via a phone call as he is deployed to the Middle East at the moment. But despite the distance, his presentation still made an impact on the panel.

After the judging panels deliberations, Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark said the idea made sense.

He suggested CPL Mewburn think about it from a wider New Zealand Defence Force perspective.

AIR FORCE FUTURE

A surprise innovation at the end of the Innovation Challenge was presented by 11-year-old military enthusiast and inventor Richard Ferguson, who joined the Dragons’ Den by Zoom.

Richard had seen the challenge in an Air Force News and submitted a design he had invented for an electric jet.

It detailed how the computerised control system incorporated electromagnets that switch from the North to South magnetic poles, which meant the piston head was being constantly pulled and pushed.

After hearing how the design worked, Chief Engineer Group Captain Peter Johnson praised Richard’s concept.

“You’d need to have the piston on some kind of rod, but it looks like you’ve already worked that out.”

He asked where the energy for the electro magnets would come from and Richard explained they could be recharged in the air by solar power.

“You could also have a fossil fuel engine as a back-up,” Richard said.

Aircraft Technician Sergeant Reiner Angelo noted that engines he worked on would normally have thousands of moving parts and it was impressive that Richard’s design only had two.

Assistant Chief of Air Staff Training and Support Group Captain (GPCAPT) Mike Cannon said he liked that the design acknowledged some challenges, including the weight of the battery. But it came up with a countermeasure of having a lighter aircraft design using carbon fibre and titanium.

He asked Richard if he was planning to join the Air Force, and Richard replied that was his plan.

“I’ll tell my guys to look out for you,” GPCAPT Cannon said. GirlBoss Founder Alexia Hibertidou asked Richard what his dream invention was.

“I want to help the world and advance it by using technology,” he replied.

Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark said that was an “audacious” goal.

“I couldn’t think of a better goal to have. Thanks for submitting this and I wish you all the best. I will be looking out for you in the future.”