The Gimball was Flyability's pioneering collision-tolerant UAV, a quadcopter enclosed in a rotating spherical protective cage that lets it bounce off obstacles and keep flying in confined spaces. It won the 2015 'Drones for Good' award and became the basis for the commercial Elios line.
| Country | Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Subcategory | VTOL / Hybrid |
| Subtype | Collision-tolerant caged inspection drone |
| Role | Confined-space / collision-tolerant inspection |
| Class | Commercial micro/small UAS |
| Classification | Commercial confined-space inspection UAS |
| Mission | confined-space inspection, indoor inspection, search and rescue |
| Datalink | Radio control link |
| Variants | Gimball (prototype) |
| MTOW (kg) | 1.4 |
| Frame type | Quadcopter |
| Propulsion | Electric (4 rotors) |
| Combat-proven | No |
| Export status | Prototype |
| Launch method | Hand launch / vertical takeoff |
| Autonomy level | Manual/assisted |
| Endurance (min) | 10 |
| Recovery method | Vertical landing |
| Year introduced | 2014 |
| Standard sensors | onboard camera/lighting |
| Production status | Prototype / superseded by Elios |