Tag: boeing
Mix and Matching Propellers Reduces Noise
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 profile is part spinning motor, part propeller’s interaction with air. This profile has peaks and valleys. Add 3 more propellers with identical noise profiles, and the peaks and […]
MedEvac! The Drones are Here
Ripping a page out of science-fiction, Boeing has filed for a software patent to protect the concept of drones rescuing personnel trapped in a hostile environment. The wounded soldier will hitch a ride on a UAV back to safety, thus sparing the lives of the brave search-and-rescue souls. The well-written application states “Due to unforeseen circumstances, personnel may become stranded in an unfamiliar and/or hostile location. Such personnel typically need to be rescued and/or retrieved […]
Boeing Counters Contingencies for Smaller Drones
So you’re operating a UAV, and the engine quits. Is it certain death for your drone? Boeing says ‘no’. According to their patent application, “Larger UAVs and manned aircraft often have redundant systems for communication (e.g., SATCOM) and navigation (e.g., inertial navigation) that enable them to respond to jamming and other contingencies without losing communication and navigation. That is, they have many spectral degrees of freedom. On the other hand, small UAVs typically cannot tolerate the weight, […]
Boeing Introduces Remote Charging Stations
Suppose you are tasked with inspection and maintenance of a pipeline. Sure, you can send out a team of engineers with camping gear to march up and down the pipeline, looking for rust and leaks. Or, you could have one drone flying back and forth doing the same job. The latter sounds like an impossible task, given that a drone’s battery lasts between 15 and 20 minutes. “Not on my watch”, said Boeing’s Spanish branch. […]