Apart from filming, lighting up areas from above and spy things from the safety of height, drones will most probably have a big future in delivering things around the city, being much more quicker than scooters or bicycles.
Still, the classic four-rotor drone is not that efficient when it comes to doing deliveries all day long, but luckily these students came up with the solution. It was obvious but it seems no one tried it so far.
Cyriel Notteboom, Menno Hochstenbach and Maarten Verbandt built what it’s now known as the VertiKUL for their master’s thesis assignment. Ace the exam and also come with something that will make an impact into the world - flawless win!
So, what’s different with the VertiKUL? It still has four rotors to take off and land vertically (VTOL) but it also has an upright fuselage and wings so it can transition to normal flying.
After taking off from a special platform, the VertiKUL slows down the rotors on one side of the wings while keeping the others at the same or higher speed. This will cause the whole thing to tip and glide horizontally, like a plane.
As soon as it reaches destination using the built in GPS, the drone will automatically return to VTOL mode, search for the special landing platform (yeah, for the system to be automated you need those things at each location) and land there with the package.
Currently it can carry up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs) and can go as far as 30 km (18.6 miles), which seems OK for a few trips around the city. That’s if you want to receive your lunch or send your girlfriend a box of chocolates.
However, with a bit more research, fine tune and some sponsorship, we’re sure the guys will be able to upscale their VertiKUL to carry more than that see them fly past the buildings one day.
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