An innovative air transport device that involves the use of a motorised gas balloon is one of 10 Western Australian finalists in a venture capital competition.
An innovative air transport device that involves the use of a motorised gas balloon is one of 10 Western Australian finalists in a venture capital competition.
The WA Pitch '08 competition, in which entrepreneurs and business owners pitch their product, business or idea to a panel of judges, has nominated 10 finalists.
The Skylifter, which is currently in the development stage, utilises a motorised gas balloon to transport heavy loads, with its vertical pick up and delivery system planned to hold up to 150 tonnes.
Company director Jeremy Fitton said the piloted air transport system could have a wide range of applications, potentially being used to transport equipment from mine sites or even as a rescue unit, retrieving people from natural disaster areas.
"The primary application is for pre- and post-carriage, for picking up heavy, bulky and hard-to-transport items from factories, to a ship offshore or a mine site; basically anything, anywhere," he said.
"But there are lots of other applications, everything from putting derailed trains back on tracks or moving drilling towers, to providing emergency aid in disaster zones."
Mr Fitton said that, although there were no air transport systems like the Skylifter in use around the world, the technology behind the aircraft was nothing new.
"The concept has been around for a long time and we are simply putting together a lot of existing technologies which are already out there," he told WA Business News. "In a lot of cases we are just reapplying it...(and) the design itself is very innovative."
The idea for the Skylifter came from the company's technical director Charles Luffman, who has more than 25 years' experience in the airship industry across the US, Britain and Germany.
The winner of the Pitch '08 competition, which will be held at the State Library on July 11, will receive a listing on the Australian Small Scale Offerings Board, valued at $40,000, with second and third placegetters receiving a listing valued at $10,000 and $11,000 respectively.
The other nine finalists, which come from a variety of fields such as agriculture, medicine, waste management and education, include Ag-ld, Alzhyme, CockySmart, Denuo Holdings, Finn Cragg, Industrial Automation Group, ParentPlus Pack, Spartel and Kingston Technology Systems.
