MIT’s New System Lets You Design Your Own Custom Drone

If you look at multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles available today, the vast majority are quadcopters. Some have more rotors, but those…

Hackster Staff
7 years agoDrones

If you look at multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles available today, the vast majority are quadcopters. Some have more rotors, but those generally stick to a symmetrical design with an even number of propellers. Not that different configurations can’t be implemented, but the design parameters become much more difficult to calculate.

Now, however, MIT’s CSAIL has created a simulation software package that enables users to configure multicopters virtually, in a variety of different ways. This includes changing the size, shape, and structure of their drone based on the specific needs they have for payload, cost, flight time, battery usage, and other factors.

As seen in the video below, this can lead to things such as a “pentacopter” with five blades, or even a “bunnycopter,” with a body in the shape of a rabbit, and vertically offset propellers.

According to MIT, the system’s interface even provides users with guarantees that the drones it fabricates can take off, hover and land — which is no simple task considering the intricate technical trade-offs associated with drone weight, shape, and control.

Although it appears the software is still currently in the realm of “research,” it will be exciting to see what tools become available to multicopter designers in the future! Until then, you can read the published research paper here.

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