University of Manchester researchers have built the world’s largest functional quadcopter drone using foamboard, a cardboard-like material, and it’s called the Giant Foamboard Quadcopter (GFQ). It measures 21-feet (6.4 meters) diagonally and weighs just 54 pounds (24.5 kilograms).
Power comes from four electric motors connected to a 50-volt battery pack, complete with an on-board flight control system and an autonomous mode. There are four arms formed by a series of hollow box structures, all of which can be easily removed for transportation, and future iterations could be designed to carry large payloads over short distances or used as a drone ‘mothership’ in air-to-air docking experiments.
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Working with foamboard provides a unique learning opportunity for students to experiment with innovative structural designs. Although the material is strong for its weight, it requires significant engineering skill to exploit its structural potential. Ultimately, with this design you are holding up 25kg of aircraft with just a few strategically placed pieces of paper – that’s the art of the possible,” said Bill Crowther, a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at The University of Manchester.
