A 17-year-old designed a cheaper, more efficient drone. The Department of Defense just awarded him $23,000 for it.
VTOL/tilt rotor drone...with only one, rather than 2 motors video at link
- Cooper Taylor, 17, is looking to revolutionize the drone industry with a new design.
- Taylor designed a motor-tilting mechanism to lower manufacturing costs and increase efficiency.
He says building his drone cost one-fifth of the price of buying a comparable machine, which sells for several thousand dollars.
A drone that blends plane and helicopter It all started when Taylor's little sister got a drone, and he was disappointed to see that it could fly for only about 30 minutes before running out of power.
He did some research and found that a vertical take-off and landing, or VTOL, drone would last longer. This type of drone combines the multi-rotor helicopter style with the fixed wings of an airplane, making it extremely versatile. It lifts off as a helicopter, then transitions into plane mode. That way, it can fly farther than rotors alone could take it, which was the drawback to Taylor's sister's drone. Unlike a plane-style drone, though, it doesn't need a runway, and it can hover with its helicopter rotors.
The problem is that VTOL drones are very expensive. As Taylor learned more about them, though, he realized he could improve a key inefficiency and maybe drastically reduce their cost.
A drone that blends plane and helicopterIt all started when Taylor's little sister got a drone, and he was disappointed to see that it could fly for only about 30 minutes before running out of power.
He did some research and found that a vertical take-off and landing, or VTOL, drone would last longer. This type of drone combines the multi-rotor helicopter style with the fixed wings of an airplane, making it extremely versatile. It lifts off as a helicopter, then transitions into plane mode. That way, it can fly farther than rotors alone could take it, which was the drawback to Taylor's sister's drone. Unlike a plane-style drone, though, it doesn't need a runway, and it can hover with its helicopter rotors.
The problem is that VTOL drones are very expensive. As Taylor learned more about them, though, he realized he could improve a key inefficiency and maybe drastically reduce their cost.
But Taylor designed his rotor-tilting drone to be completely 3D printed and completely modular. A user can pop the tail and wings out of their sockets and replace them with any custom appendages. Similarly, a port for cameras or scientific instruments leaves room for customization.
The cost savings come from the fact that his drone uses fewer motors, but the modular nature means users could upgrade or replace parts of the drone for a lower cost than buying a whole new drone.
When he hit a barrier in his knowledge of coding, design, or circuitry, he would look for advice in online forums or take a relevant course on the website Udemy.
Taylor's latest prototype weighs about 6 pounds with a wingspan of a little over 4 feet. He's flown it for up to 15 minutes at a time, but he has calculated that at the rate it uses power, it should last for 105 minutes cruising at 45 mph. He doesn't want to push those limits just yet, though.
A 17-year-old designed a cheaper, more efficient drone. The Department of Defense just awarded him $23,000 for it. |
