This experimental drone takes shape in flight

  • Reading Time:2Minutes

The flying machine can do some particularly interesting tricks by quickly lowering and raising its “arms” as needed. The HiPeRLab team of University of California staff and students is pushing the boundaries of drone technology with a series of unique projects. The team of mostly young professionals is doing an impressive job, as you can see on their website, trying to come up with innovative ideas in everything from product design to improving safety features to developing space sensing.

It is hoped that these ideas will be reflected in the toolbox of drones offered to end users or even business customers in the future (or not too much later). Thus accelerating the spread of a segment that is not developing slowly.

Perhaps the most spectacular of the workshop’s many interesting research projects is a device that can change shape in a fraction of a second during flight. In its normal state, this model looks like a completely ordinary drone with four propellers, used by hobbyists. The trick is that a 90-degree release mechanism is built into the arms that hold the blades. Moreover, once the locking mechanism is released, no extra energy is needed as gravity does the work.

The design allows for fairly stable stunts in narrow areas that would be impossible for a normal drone of this wingspan to negotiate. The technology could come in handy, for example, when scanning hard-to-reach areas of construction sites, industrial facilities and utility networks. (But a drone flying through chimneys and ventilation ducts is likely to leave the military in no doubt.)

But the bending arms not only expand the potentially accessible area, they also come in handy for logistical tasks. In the video, the researchers also demonstrated how the two vertically oriented propellers exert opposing forces to “embrace” an empty cardboard box and then carry it a few metres away. The idea is a good one, but the materials available do not tell us exactly how much weight the shape-shifting drone can practically lift.

Source: hiperlab.berkeley.edu

More articles you may be interested in...

Drones News & Articles

How China is revolutionizing drone manufacturing

China’s dominance in drone manufacturing is no accident. It’s the result of a calculated blend of industrial policy, technological innovation, and supply chain mastery that has propelled the country to control 70-80% of the global commercial drone market as of 2025. From consumer quadcopters to military-grade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),...>>>...READ MORE

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

The VarEVolt battery’s 18-second charge breakthrough

This cutting-edge battery, capable of fully charging in a mere 18 seconds, has recently received Conformity of Production (CoP) certification,...>>>...READ MORE

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

China’s role in fast-tracking eVTOL development

News & Articles Points of interest

The ascent of iRonCub3, the world’s first jet-powered humanoid

News & Articles Points of interest

Vertiports vs. airports: Costs and urban planning challenges

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft represent a transformative leap in urban mobility, promising...>>>...READ MORE

more

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

GAC’s Govy AirCab eVTOL unveiled

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

Achieving 90% fuel reduction in aviation

The aviation industry stands at a critical juncture, with global air travel demand projected to...>>>...READ MORE

Drones News & Articles

China’s plasma propulsion breakthrough

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

The Present and Future of Asia in the Manufacture and use of eVTOLs and various modern aircraft (2025–2030)

Asia is poised to redefine global aviation through its leadership in advanced air mobility (AAM),...>>>...READ MORE

more

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Ehang forges strategic partnership with Changchun Jingyue high-tech zone to deploy 41 eh216-s units for evtol applications in extreme cold regions

In a significant step for urban air mobility (UAM), EHang Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: EH), a global leader in UAM technology, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Management Committee of Changchun, Jilin Province. The collaboration seeks to create a provincial-level demonstration zone for low-altitude economic development, combining industrial expansion,...>>>...READ MORE