We’ve seen aircraft based on “helicopter” seeds (technically samara seeds, which include those of maples and elms) before, but this recent design from researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) shows how a single small motor can power a spinning monocopter capable of active directed flight, including hovering.
The monocopter is essentially an optimized wing shape with a single motor and propeller at one end. Hardware-wise it might be simple, but the tradeoff is higher complexity in other areas. Physical layout and balance are critical to performance, and software-wise controlling what is basically a wing spinning itself at high speed is a complex task. The payoff is highly-efficient flight in a package that self-stabilizes; it weighs only 32 grams and has a flight time of 26 minutes, which is very impressive for a self-contained micro aircraft.
We saw what looks like an earlier version of this concept from SUTD that was capable of directed flight by modifying the airfoil surface, but like the seeds it was modeled after, it’s more of a glider. This unit has the same spinning-seed design, but is actively powered. A significant improvement, for sure.
For those who prefer their DIY micro aircraft a little more traditional-looking, be sure to check out the design details of a handmade and fully operational 1:96 scale P-51 Mustang that weighs only 2.9 grams. It even has retractable landing gear! When one can manage to keep mass to a bare minimum, a little power goes a long way.
Free flight monocopter models powered by screaming Cox 049s have been around for many decades. So what’s new here, just the directional flight bit?
Those old models (yardsticks on arrow shafts, powered by gas motor) are hella fun. But why expend so much effort when there are flying shop rags? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67PUWyKdqjI
OTOH, steering is a big deal, so “just the directional flight bit” is a bit like saying that the difference between a soapbox derby car and a Ferrari is “just the motor”.
And 26 minutes of flight time! The idea here is to turn a gimmick into something that could actually be useful.
Huh? Everything is different from existing monocopters, other than the fact that it has one wing. Those aren’t even ornithopters. It’s like how birds and airplanes aren’t the same thing, even though they each have two wings.
Is it as loud as a lot of drones are?
Was there no video or did I just miss it?
The video is located under “Supplemental Items”
Yup, there it is. Thanks and beware of the leopard.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ielx8/7083369/11008675/11018367/supp1-3575316.mp4
Very cool, it should be quite energy efficient for very small payloads. Say an SD card or piece of paper?
Time to fire my passenger pigeon (or roast)
*Messenger
Doh!
So it’s the same thing as W. Zhang, M. W. Mueller, and R. D’Andrea, “A controllable flying vehicle with a single moving part,” 2016 (which they also reference and has been on Hackaday) except optimized for flight time.
yes. or, as the paper’s authors call it, [13]
i’ve been day dreaming about unusual airplane geometries / control mechanisms for a long time so when i read about “higher complexity in other areas” i was nodding along…but “highly-efficient flight” left me scratching my head…26 minutes!! wow!!!! that got my attention. now i want to build one!
Next logical step is getting video back. Maybe implement a scanning cameral that makes continuous 360° video and pulls a stable directional viewport out? 😂