CycloTech eVTOL technology

The eVTOL developed by CycloTech of Austria uses so-called Voith Schneider Propellers, which make it look like it has real wheels instead of rotors. The technology itself is not high-tech to say the least, as Ernst Schneider came up with the unusual solution in the 1920s, in which the pitch angle of the rotating blades changes periodically to form a corresponding buoyancy force.

The technology has the advantage of allowing exceptional manoeuvrability, but has so far typically only been used on ships. After a successful test with the 83-kilogram prototype, CycloTech plans to further develop the technology, called CycloRotor, with the ultimate goal of creating a five-seater air taxi. The Austrian manufacturer is not the only one to see potential in cyclic rotors, as in June the Russian government’s Advanced Research Foundation announced a similar project to develop a military air taxi with Voith Schneider Propellers, called Cyclocar.

Source: cyclotech.at