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 โmothershipโ in air-to-air docking experiments.
- ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ - The drone is lightweight and compact, weighing...
- ๐ก๐ผ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ - Under 249 g, FAA Registration and Remote ID are not required if...
- ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ - Enjoy longer flights with DJI Mini 2 SE, which offers a 31-min max flight...
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 – thatโs the art of the possible,” said Bill Crowther, a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at The University of Manchester.
