This Helicopter Is So Easy To Control, A Toddler Could Probably Operate It

With just one joystick and two touchscreen panels, the Skyryse One is making helicopters more autonomous, intuitive, and safe.

Helicopters, like pretty much any airborne vehicle, are notoriously difficult to operate. You’ve got controls in front of you, beside you, sometimes even above you – it’s no wonder you need a license with hundreds of hours of training to be able to professionally pilot one. While understandably, you’d expect helicopter pilots to go through rigorous training before being certified to operate a hunk of metal through the sky, there’s really no need for control panels and dashboards to be as complicated as they are. Founded in 2016, Skyryse has been working to simplify how helicopters are operated. Distinct from traditional helicopters, the Skyryse One eschews conventional controls like the cyclic stick, collective lever, throttle, and anti-torque pedals for a simplified control scheme centered around a single stick and a touchscreen interface. This design philosophy is built around Skyryse’s proprietary SkyOS system, which aims to enhance safety by streamlining operations and automating critical functions such as takeoff, hovering, and in the event of system failures, autorotation and landing. The company’s first-ever helicopter, the Skyryse One, puts this new control panel front and center. In fact the company claims it’s so easy to learn, you need just 20 hours of practice before taking to the skies.

Designer: Skyryse

Eschewing the traditional, mechanically complex controls found in helicopters, Skyryse introduces a fly-by-wire system controlled by a single four-axis control stick and two touch screens. This system, powered by Skyryse’s proprietary SkyOS, brings an unprecedented level of simplicity and safety to aviation​​​. Fly-by-wire, a technology where electronic systems replace mechanical ones, is not new to aviation but applying it to helicopters in such a simplified manner certainly is. The SkyOS enhances this system by continuously analyzing pilot input, environmental conditions, aircraft status, and flight parameters, ensuring the aircraft remains within a safe flight envelope​​​.

One of the most groundbreaking features of the Skyryse One is its fully automated autorotation capability. In traditional helicopters, autorotation is a complex emergency maneuver required when the engine fails, demanding immediate and precise actions from the pilot. The Skyryse One, through SkyOS, automates this process, significantly reducing the pilot’s workload and making emergency landings safer​​​.

Moreover, features like auto-pickup and set-down, swipe-to-start, and hover assist simplify operations that previously required intricate control and coordination. The inherent stability feature of the Skyryse One means that at any point, the pilot can release the controls, with the aircraft immediately activating autonomous protocols to maintain safe flying parameters.

Skyryse is making the dream of piloting more accessible. Despite its advanced technology, flying the Skyryse One only requires a standard helicopter Private Pilot License. For those already licensed for airplanes, transitioning to the Skyryse One involves just an additional 20 hours of flight training. This approach could significantly expand the helicopter pilot community by lowering the entry barrier to flying​.

As revolutionary as it is, the Skyryse One comes with a hefty price tag of $1.8 million. However, for aviation enthusiasts and professionals looking for the cutting edge of safety and simplicity, the investment might well be worth it. The company has started accepting a $2,500 deposit for reservations, with deliveries expected to begin following airworthiness certification​​​.

The post This Helicopter Is So Easy To Control, A Toddler Could Probably Operate It first appeared on Yanko Design.

This aerodynamically tuned drone is for covert missions in urban warzones

When we think of a drone, the first picture that comes to mind is that of a quadcopter flying in the skies. This stealth drone is somewhat different thought with its helicopter-like aesthetics and swiftness.

Snap (Formerly Snapchat) has just announced its second tangible product after the release of the swanky spectacles. This time around it’s a compact palm-sized drone for shooting videos and directly sending them to Snapchat. However, we’re going to shift our focus to another drone that is much bigger and could go head-on in the market dominated by DJI Mavic 3, Ryze Tello, or Parrot Anafi FPV.

Designer: Vladislav Kulikov

The intended purpose of this conceptual design is to have a reliable unmanned medium-sized drone fly swiftly in cities, delivering important small cargo in the concrete jungle with efficiency. It makes sense in the current turbulent times in the world plagued by uncertain wars and pandemics. Unlike the customary quadcopter form of most of the drones out there, this one has the semblance of an RC helicopter. That’s why the name of this flying machine is VR Drone Helicopter.

Vladislav Kulikov portrays this sleek machine as one inspired by the body of the birds. The seemingly floating cabin in the frame reinforces that fact. Those hindlegs and the forward-leaning position lend a bird-like character to the whole design. The five rotors on top spin to provide the lift and the tail rotor actuates the directional movement. The virtual Reality bit of the drone comes from the VR headset-controlled function, wherein a remotely located human can fly this machine into the sensitive or dangerous zones with complete awareness of the surroundings.

Aerodynamics are at play here so the aerodynamics tuning of the body is in complete play. The top view and side angle render show the amount of detail being put into shaving off the unnecessary weight for maximum lift and maneuverability.

The post This aerodynamically tuned drone is for covert missions in urban warzones first appeared on Yanko Design.

This stealth plane-inspired EVTOL comes with fans inside its wings, and can seat 5 people!

Science fiction would have you believe it’s pretty easy to have an aircraft that takes off vertically like a helicopter, and then suddenly sprouts wings and thrusters which let it fly like a jet. It’s an incredibly tricky maneuver that’s fuel-intensive, and it becomes doubly complicated when you’re trying to make the entire aircraft an electric machine. However, Canada’s Horizon Aircraft has a pretty interesting aircraft with a hybrid power system and a patent-pending wing design.

Just on face value, the Horizon Cavorite X5 looks like an absolute sci-fi wet-dream. It sports the aesthetic of a sleek stealth-bomber, and comes with wings that, get this, split open to reveal multiple fans underneath (yes, wings with FANS!) These fans help the EVTOL take off and land vertically (like a helicopter) on a landing pad, and the outer covers close shut to turn the X5 into a wing-based aircraft that can hit speeds of up to 350 km/h (217mph).

The Cavorite X5 comes named after a fictional super-material first mentioned in H.G> Wells’ 1901 book The First Men in the Moon, which, when cooled, can cancel out the effects of gravity. The plane takes on those very characteristics too, with its unique ability to hover vertically before flying like a normal plane. With an LS V8 engine onboard and a relatively modest battery system, the Cavorite X5 can achieve cruise speeds of up to 350 km/h, traveling as far as 500 kilometers while carrying cargo. The EVTOL has seating for 5 people and enough space for cargo to match. Without passengers or cargo, the Cavorite X5’s range gets bumped up to a much more impressive 1000 kilometers or 625 miles.

The company behind the aircraft, Horizon, is currently working on a 1:6 scale version to begin testing its systems and software, and plans to have a half-scale machine built by the end of the year, with production beginning as early as 2024.

Designer: Horizon Aicraft

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This Working Drone Looks Like a LEGO Helicopter

Drone designer Adam Woodworth has created some cool drones in the past like Imperial Star Destroyers for instance, but this one is even better: a giant LEGO helicopter. It looks like it came out of a genuine LEGO set, except it’s much bigger.

The drone was shown off at this year’s Makers Fair in San Francisco. This thing looks like a real LEGO copter. It even has a minifig pilot. Tested recently checked it out in action, and it looks pretty cool. Charming actually, as the rotor moves way too slowly. Of course, if it weren’t a drone, this thing would never fly in a million years since ABS plastic bricks are not very aerodynamic. That’s why he built his jumbo version from foam.

The drone is about ten times the scale of the LEGO set that inspired it. LEGO fans already know this, but in case you don’t, it is based on the classic set 6396 International Jetport, which includes Woodworth’s favorite LEGO helicopter. He did an excellent job here. This thing looks authentic and I love the way it flies.

[via Tested via Tomsguide]