Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/I1cScTqvEmU Pipistrel, a Slovenian company, now a subsidiary of Textron, has invented an algorithm to get the most out of propellers of electric flying vehicles. As the patent states, “The algorithm incorporates information such as the propeller diameter (D), the maximum power, torque, and RPM of the propeller. […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/BGqo9yEl-Z4 University of Colorado’s Adaptive Robotics Lab has filed for an interesting structure based on tensegrity. The geometry of the structure can be changed, allowing it to be used for driving or for swimming robots. As a wheel, the structure can be completely two-dimensional, or spherical. For swimming […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/wIHeDh74kZ0 The FVR platform is certainly an impressive accomplishment. According to its maker, “The FVR is designed for long endurance, 12 to 18 hours, with an 8 to 22 pound payload capacity.”(https://www.l3harris.com/all-capabilities/fvr-90-airframe) According to the patent, large quad platforms are great at their VTOL thing, but have little […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/I4eIXPNOOnI The title caught my eye, and the inventors’ credentials impressed me. Both are from the Defense sphere, and if they applied for a patent, this is a worthy invention. Basically, it’s a standalone module that you can attach to any friendly drone, and that module can sever […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/FRjh1TjieTE In a world where drones perform a multitude of tasks, it is not unforeseeable that several UAV companies will use the same airspace at the same time. While one company can keep meticulous safety margins for its own UAV fleet, it does not necessarily know where other […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/DW-j5B29RBA When the electronics of your drone overheat, it could spell the end of your flight. The folks at DJI thought “well, the propeller is moving a lot of air down, what if we captured just a bit of it and ported it over the hot stuff?” There […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/v1AFbP7w4V8 When something is very popular, it’s safe to assume that it is very good. CubePilot is widely considered a top-tier option for autopilot systems in the drone industry. However, this is not what this patent is about, it’s about something that made life easier for CubePilot, and […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/8NtnwJD1JOc It took some outside-the-box thinking by the folks at Aurora, a Boeing-owned company, to arrive at this invention. They asked the question “but Why are drones so loud?” The answer is not so simple: constructive interference. When a propeller spins, it has a noise profile. This noise […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/PwO2aP6jPXs Ericsson (the Swedish telecommunications giant) has applied for an interesting invention: a UAV that can swap batteries of other UAVs mid-flight. Why would Ericsson need an electric air refueling tanker? Because they want to provide telecommunication services using drones. Imagine being on a search and rescue mission […]
Have this article read to you at https://youtu.be/aoDwIFxnuik This may be old news, but let’s look at the toroidal propeller patent from 2020. It is a valiant attempt to make drones more palatable for the general public. The idea came from the “ring wing” design, an airplane with a wing in the shape of a […]