University Team Builds World’s Largest Flying Quadrocopter Drone

A group of researchers at the University of Manchester in England have successfully built and flown the world’s largest quadrocopter, a cardboard behemoth that measures 21 feet across but weighs only 54 pounds. That’s because the entire thing is constructed from paper-covered Depron foamboard to keep its weight to a minimum while still providing the structural integrity necessary to support those long arms. Me? I also have long arms but little to no integrity.

The copter uses four electric rotors at the ends of its arms for lift, powered by a 50-volt battery pack, and has both radio-controlled and autonomous flying capabilities. Unfortunately, based on the size of its tiny rotors, it probably does not have any real lifting capabilities. That’s a shame, too, because I was really hoping for a lift to work. Get it? Because my car is in the shop.

The researchers hope that future iterations of their giant flying machine will actually be able to carry cargo short distances or act as a “mothership” for airborne drone-to-drone docking experiments. I personally hope the next version will be strong enough to lift a midsize car so I can move my neighbor’s whenever he parks it in front of my driveway.

[via TechEBlog]