Australian Government invests in air taxi vertipad patent - Aeroberm

Australian Government has awarded $250,000 to Skyportz Australia Pty Ltd to advance development of its revolutionary patented elevated Aeroberm vertipad, designed to enable safe and scalable operations for electric air taxis in urban and regional environments. The funds will be matched by Skyportz to create a $500 000 research and development pool to engage researchers, patent specialists and industrial designers to bring the product to the prototype phase. This investment will help develop an Australian solution to one of the most exciting frontiers in transport — safe, sustainable air taxi infrastructure that can be exported to the world.

Skyportz has developed a world-first modular vertipad system that can be installed on rooftops, carparks, or bespoke structures to support the emerging Advanced Air Mobility industry. This project, supported under the Australian Government’s  Industry Growth Program, will develop a minimum viable product to address three of the most significant infrastructure challenges facing the industry — downwash and outwash management, noise mitigation, and fire suppression.

Clem Newton-Brown OAM, CEO of Skyportz commented: “This grant will help us take our patented vertipad technology from concept to prototype. We’re focused on delivering a safe, affordable and deployable solution that will enable property owners and developers to future-proof their sites for the coming era of electric air taxis.”

The Aeroberm patent covers a modular, elevated landing platform that incorporates integrated air management channels, acoustic dampening, and a built-in fire suppression system. These innovations are designed to address the key operational and safety issues that will prevent eVTOL aircraft from operating in built environments.

The Australian Government has demonstrated a strong commitment to positioning Australia as a leader in Advanced Air Mobility through other funding initiatives such as the New and Emerging Aviation Technologies (NEAT) Program, and the regulatory readiness work underway by agencies such as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Airservices Australia, which are both developing vertiport standards and airspace integration frameworks for AAM operations.

With international research partnerships in USA, UK, India and China, and growing global interest in its patented design, Skyportz is positioning Australia to play a leading role in the rollout of Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure worldwide with the Aeroberm.