Design considerations of a prototype VTOL robotic vehicle through market survey data collectionDesign considerations of a prototype VTOL robotic vehicle through market survey data collection Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2015-11-152006enA detailed technical design and performance comparison of current unmanned Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles is presented as a function of vehicle maximum speed, payload, range, endurance, and propulsion configurations. Mission applications and VTOL market characteristics are used to define design specifications for a new prototype unmanned VTOL vehicle suitable for a wide range of (mostly) civilian applications. The proposed VTOL vehicle's design phase is presented, including: performance capabilities calculation, fuselage strength evaluation and weight optimization via crash/drop tests. Drop tests performed have followed standard regulations used for airworthiness certification of such vehicles. The proposed VTOL vehicle is currently under prototype development. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems464339-364 Spanoudakis Polychronis Σπανουδακης Πολυχρονης Tsourveloudis Nikolaos Τσουρβελουδης Νικολαος Valavanis K.P. Springer Verlag Autonomous robotic systems autonomous robots autonomous robotic systems