For researchers building what could be the world's smallest cyclocopter--a drone powered by two spinning paddle-wheel-like cyclorotors--every gram counts. The edges of each of the craft's eight rotor blades were made by hand-laying hair-thin carbon fiber strands preimpregnated with epoxy into a Teflon mold, along with a 0.7-millimeter-thick carbon rod for the center of the frame. Then they were baked in an oven at about 175 degrees Celsius. The frames were wrapped in 5-micron-thick sheets of Mylar, the thinnest available, to create surface area. Here, Button discusses how cyclocopters and flapping drones would perform compared to conventional quadcopters and miniature helicopters, especially when faced with the great bane of all micro air vehicles: wind gusts.
Tiny drones, big questions
Aerospace America ; 55 , 2
2017
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch