NGTU patented an amphibious hovercraft.

      01 October 2025 12:53 Science The Eurasian Patent Office has granted NGTU named after Alekseev a patent for the invention "Amphibious Air-Cushion Vessel with a Universal Propulsion Unit." The development is a multi-purpose transport vehicle designed to operate in harsh natural conditions, the university's press service told reporters.

      The invention relates to shipbuilding and is intended for rescue operations as well as the delivery of cargo and passengers in hard-to-reach terrain. The vessel is capable of moving over water covered with ice or snow, across fields of hummocked ice, over swampy areas, on inclined surfaces and over areas with broken ice.

      The authors are staff members of NGTU: Nikolai Zolotov, Nadezhda Kalinina, Evgeny Gramuzov and Andrey Kurkin.

      The key novelty is associated with the layout of the air cushion and the propulsion system. Two diametral fans with air intakes on the upper deck are installed at the stern along the sides of the hull. They generate the cushion and, through flexible air receivers located along the sides, connect to swivel nozzles installed in the bow and stern sections of the vessel.

      Nadezhda Kalinina emphasized that this multi-purpose means is intended to operate where conventional equipment is powerless. According to her, the solution is especially needed for rescue operations in extreme conditions — for example, in fires on drilling platforms among ice or in northern swamps.

      The design is complemented by ducts with dividing dampers that allow metering the supply of air both to the cushion and for thrust to the bow and stern nozzles. This ensures optimal distribution of flows depending on the tasks and the situation.

      Two universal power units are used as propulsion. Each includes an engine connected by a switchable transmission simultaneously to a ducted fan in a ring channel and to a screw propulsor. The units are mounted on the sides via parallelogram mechanisms, allowing them to move vertically.

      Prospective applications cover a wide range of tasks: conducting search-and-rescue operations in hard-to-reach areas, delivering people and cargo where developed infrastructure is lacking, patrolling the coastline and monitoring in difficult weather and terrain conditions, as well as ensuring transport accessibility of northern territories during shoulder seasons.

      Earlier it was reported that Nizhny Novgorod scientists had patented a new method of fighting cancer.

      It was also revealed that scientists at NNGASU have created a program to control the microclimate in pig barns.

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