The Air Force has opened up three real-world, unclassified projects for collaboration on The Air Force Collaboratory. Technology enthusiasts are able to collaborate on “Mind of a Quadrotor”, which involves building a system that allows a quadrotor to navigate its surroundings with minimal human interaction. Technically speaking, a quadrotor refers to a multi-copter that is lifted and propelled by four rotors – classified as rotorcraft – and has lift generated by a set of revolving narrow-chord airfoils. Quadrotors have several advantages over similarly-sized aircraft. First, they don’t require mechanical linkages to vary the rotor blade pitch angle as they spin, simplifying the design and maintenance of the vehicle. Second, the use of four rotors allows each individual rotor to have a smaller diameter than the equivalent helicopter rotor, allowing them to possess less kinetic energy during flight, which reduces the damage caused should the rotors hit anything. Continue reading to see five of the most creative uses of quadrotors.
