FROW - The first rotary-wing drone that changes its wingspan mid-air

[@daklit]

I can only emagine how hard this was to engineer, good job lads

[@BikingVikingHH]

The only difficult thing really is the flight control program, the rest of it is relatively simplistic for model aviation

[@creativecarveciteclimb5684]

@@BikingVikingHHThat is exactly what @daklit thinks is hard.

[@BikingVikingHH]

@@creativecarveciteclimb5684 I’d say that’s programming not engineering

[@Player-pj9kt]

The flight controller probably works like a helicopter swash plate

[@caturlifelive]

Agreed

It is truly a very successful project, I congratulate everyone who took part in the development of this project.

[@michaelmarkspersonal]

Great proof of concept. I'm especially impressed with the single wing design.

[@OrenWasser]

That is the most inspiring project I saw recently. Well done!

[@nukerock2451]

Very impressive in terms of innovation as well as H/W and S/W engineering! Thank you for this video - excellent work!

[@gonzalofascioli2531]

Impressive accuracy for a rotary wing!

[@KofiAsare0]

Very clever concept and design, nice work!

[@yonseimatt]

Absolutely incredible! I had to read the description a couple of times to understand how it moves laterally. Presumably the unfolded configuration gives greater efficiency?

[@BikingVikingHH]

It pulses the motor when the motor is pointing the direction it wants to go… I got that the first pass… and yeah, A larger wing that uses its total length as an airfoil is more efficient than a shorter wing that has the majority of its airfoil collapsed into an accordion shape… you’re on to something! Should I call NASA for you to tell them the news?!

[@fishercawkey]

@@BikingVikingHH Yes please

[@yonseimatt]

@@BikingVikingHH No need mate. Just set up your own rival space agency. Seems like you know more than they do anyway ;-)

[@drakkorvladimir4012]

Pretty cool ! Also works as a xylophone.

[@yobrojoost9497]

:D

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

I came into this not really knowing what to expect, although based on the title and thumbnail, I admittedly misunderstood and thought this was in regards to Tilt-Rotor design. Then, when you detailed the benefits of the bird and the ability to squeeze through narrow openings, my interest was piqued, but because I was still under the impression it was in regards to conventionally winged aircraft. Whereby giving a winged drone the ability to temporarily retract its wingspan *_in flight,_* just like the hawk in the demo... *sounded like a true game changer!!* Though, I think your rotary design is pretty dang interesting as well! Don't get me wrong... I only mention this all, because I still think that being able to use that design in a fixed wing design, might be worth looking into a well! Particularly if it was like I initially had thought, but combining it with a tilt-rotor design. You could allow for a small drone to be able to take off and land vertically, as well as hover over a zone. But could even conserve power thanks to having the ability to glide at times. Plus the ability to change the wingspan for various situations that might merit it. (gain access to somewhere, say through a partially open window, or through a partially collapsed opening) Anyways, just thought I'd share the ideas! I offer them up freely and with no expectations, yours now to use, or not. _(figured I should add that, just in case)_ ✌️😊 _edit: typo_

[@lordbored2706]

Thanks Duke! Have a good day

[@Xailow]

How did you get around the intermediate axis problem?

[@Cineenvenordquist]

Yes, v. impressed that it never seemed to want to flip or that if it did it didn't matter!

[@its_notta_cedar]

can you fly it with FPV?

[@RobertoEarnywho]

as a lover of aviation science and engineering i am amazed!!! 😮❤

[@hasanzedan4405]

One of the coolest things ive ever seen

[@TheOpacue]

How do they steer?

[@straightalk7206]

Very cool. How is it steered?

[@glike2]

Super impressed Senior Aeronautics engineer here, well done and time for startup and making a payload carrying version and a quad 2X version... Lots of customers need this ASAP to end the war sooner for freedom sides victory!

[@B1g_Salad]

Brilliant design. Reminds me of winged seeds that would fall from a maple or sycamore tree. We can learn a lot from nature! Cheers

[@Critical-Thinker895]

Why? What purpose or problem does it solve? What is the advantage? ... or was it just something fun to do?

[@丫o]

Did you even watch the video? They say in the captions that it’s to demonstrate variable wing geometry. It demonstrates the ability to change its size while in flight, something apparently no other drone can do.

[@Critical-Thinker895]

@@丫o To solve what problem? ... Is this a hobby looking for a market? Anyone can look at this and see that enlarged to any scale would present so many stress problems that it wouldn't be cost effective for any reason. It's a cute kids toy. Next...? It reminds me of all those gadgets that people used to build in the early days of flight. And who is their marketing manager? A bird lover perhaps? What's with all the birds? This thing is far from imitating a bird. We have had a host of miniature drones invented that could actually do something. This thing spins. ok ... next ...?

[@dark6.63E-34]

@Critical-Thinker895 one suggested use is literally in the video. Giving the drone the ability to fly through tight spaces then extend the wings again for more efficient flight. different example: origami being the art of folding paper into funny shapes can also be looked at in that pessimistic layman view, but then you realise it was utilised in space engineering. It's common for ideas to be expanded upon pong before they become profitable or useful. But it seems you lacked the critical thinking ability to recognise this?

[@Critical-Thinker895]

@@dark6.63E-34 It's a cute toy that does nothing and will never be able to handle the stress under working and flying conditions ... but it will keep jackasses like you clicking instead of working.

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

To fit in tight spaces any regular remote controlled helicopter/quadcopter could fly through without needing to change its geometry or sacrifice flight efficiency? Sounds like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I don't see any real marketable, or useful trait for this shape-shifting whirlygig other than a fun novelty whose entertainment value exponentially decreases the more time passes.

[@SP-ny1fk]

Could you use the propellers as servos to also extend the wings?

[@ArN5]

This is amazing!

[@Bobby_Matthews]

I have some issues with this design. If the whole body spins in flight, how is it useful with a camera attached to it?

[@SciFiFactory]

How does the navigation work? Magnetic field and gravity as reference?

[@nikaX2000]

Great use of origami, some basic physics and Bioinspiration

[@WesYarber]

Can it fly just as well with the wings retracted all the way? If so, why ever extend them at all?

[@alanseymour1252]

Excellent work & innovation. I'm really keen to see if you cat get steady images of the ground.

[@kingofnothing2260]

Awesome design. A great backpack done with so many applications. Great job

[@vitaliyjuterbog8912]

The applications, and deflationary pressure on the drone market will be stunning.

[@sebbes333]

*@AIR Lab (SUTD)* 2:02 Next time, please move the text down by about 1 row. Because when pausing the video in full-screen, then the title overlap with that text, as it is now.

[@ІгорЛисенко-ж9н]

I wander if it could be useful in any way...

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

It can't.

[@steamhawkcreations8057]

Great engineering guys, keep up the good work.

[@gulsmvlogs4170]

WOW! excellent work!

[@jeffcarey3045]

"Let's build a flying machine. Any ideas?" "Okay, start with a propeller." "Yes, good, what next?" "That's all."

[@Guido_XL]

A helicopter uses the pitch-control to vary the lift of the rotor-blades by means of the swashplate. Here, the wing's (rotor's) length is controlled. In flight, the centrifugal forces on that wing-rotor are substantial, but it is feasible, as this demo shows.

[@OnerousEthic]

Hats off to SUTD for thinking “Out-of-the-box”!!! Variable wing loading is an important innovation and long overdue imho!

[@NoggleBaum]

Why?

[@timgarrett203]

Impressive. Most impressive…

[@MasterMayhem78]

Is there a long term vision for this? It seems like it doesn’t address any particular problems but instead creates them. When we have micro drones that can fly through a Coke can then is this really necessary 🤷‍♂️

[@sovannv]

Very cool and practical. I like it

[@justlo0k33]

Beautiful engineering

[@pylon500]

A lot of hard work, and very clever, but still feels like a solution looking for a problem...

[@astralkeksFPV]

WOW man! great work!

[@JaydenLawson]

Wow, that's super interesting. No doubt you've considered all the things, but I'm thinking an aircraft could switch between speed and agility (small radius), and efficiency and quietness (large radius).

[@fnytnqsladcgqlefzcqxlzlcgj9220]

Woah... Never seen that kind of control on a craft like that. Almost uncanny

[@4DCResinSmoker]

Ahh its being controlled remotely as i can see there are cameras near the ceiling that are monitoring its position. Very cool.

[@RalphDratman]

Insane! Amazing! Brilliant!

[@henkdevries2971]

How can I build one? 🤩

[@chuksrc]

The loitering and positioning is top notch for a design like this..

[@MaxSMoke777]

It seems like it's putting a TON of force on those servos, which I'm guessing are plastic and not really up to that weight when the centrifugal forces get high. I guess that's good for storage, maybe? I can see a compact mini-drone being useful, assuming you can put some sensors on it and improve it's launch method. Spinning around on the floor isn't really going to cut it. Could it be tossed up in the air and get up to speed in the 2 seconds before it hits the ground? Now THAT would be something that would get some serious military interest as a quick and easily deployed infantry drone.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Full digital servos have a very high holding along with a metal gear train.

[@RSmerlinRS]

i'd freak the hell out if one of them started chasing me. ROBOT BOOMERANGS OF DEATH! RUN!

[@airicarus]

Well done!

[@icejuice9316]

SO COOL!

[@HyperMakes]

What a piece of actual godsend engineering...🙏🏼✨

[@glowytheglowbug]

impressive design! good job!

[@rohansully584]

Nice work

[@zoeyzhang9866]

This is really SOMETHING! Wondering if any custom PCBs/3DP/CNC'd parts may help for upcoming upgrade work? Would love to give our biggest support! (PCBWay zoey)

[@ToPProjectsCompilation]

Hi Air Lab, the project is great. We want to feature it on our channel. Kindly reply if it seems good.

[@99kitfox]

Awesome job!

[@wizzfred2]

JUST AMAZING WORKS;;; YOU ARE AWSOME;;;

[@hjacobson22]

So you just shorten the wing on the side of the rotation that you want to travel in? So you have less thrust on that side?

[@feelincrispy7053]

So it’s a perfect size to fit inside a Russian tank manhole?

[@mumblety]

Dang, this is cool!

[@BharathwajK]

3:41 is actually the real innovation here rather than rotory

[@burnerjack01]

You crazy kids! Why, back in my day, everybody ran with at least two wings, sometimes even more!

[@TheColleenDabeanShow]

A feat of engineering to be sure - but very elegant as well. Wow.

[@googoogaagaas]

Great work, keep it up!

[@andreymerka4227]

Самое удивительное не конструкция изменения длины крыла, а то что он с такой конструкцией может еще и зависать над точкой и точно перемещаться с позиции на позицию

[@ghostbombl8034]

Awesome toy.

[@hipser]

This is awesome, you should be happy with yourselves :)

[@arthursgarage6550]

Like a boomerang

[@drewski6843]

wow, this is awesome.

[@40KTTR]

The last configuration looks like an maple seed when falling

[@cslevine]

... then, attatch the system on an arm... a second, a 3rd, a 4rth on 4 arms... and have a quadrupter.

[@melody3741]

If it can fly folded then………… Why unfold it???

[@MosOneK]

Awesome work

[@joshbeaulieu7408]

It could be really cool, once refined. Either way, it seems like it could spawn some sort of remote control flying machete, which would be simultaneously cool and horrifying. 😅 I wonder what the imagined uses are?

[@WernerBeroux]

Now we need an Insta360 and ArduPilot and this.

[@TheBeefiestable]

why though? why not just be small?

[@mattmustarde5582]

Possibly flight time, a smaller diameter with this same configuration would need to spin faster to fly longer

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

​@@mattmustarde5582That makes no sense. It would naturally spin faster due to being a smaller diameter, and it wouldn't be carrying all the extra weight of folded wings. In fact, it doesn't need the wings at all. It could be a dual rotor helicopter just by removing the wings and their control servos and mounting the propellers to face upwards. It would have far more advantages that way.

[@mattmustarde5582]

@@Eidolon1andOnly larger props are inherently more efficient than smaller ones - they produce more thrust at a lower rotational velocity. How would you make a traditional drone more power efficient...? You'd give it bigger props. So naturally the progression to maximum drone flight time is to the turn the drone itself into one large prop. The smaller props have to consume less power rotating the main body of the drone than they would producing 100% of the lift fighting gravity. Yes there's added weight with the collapsing mechanics here, but by having a large rotating body the drone benefits from the afforementioned efficiency gains for hovering, while still being able to navigate smaller spaces as needed. If the drone had a fixed smaller radius, the small props would need to work harder to get the body spinning faster, hurting the efficiency overall. Ideally a drone of this configuration would have the largest diameter possible.

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

@@mattmustarde5582 Larger props does not equal using props to rotate wings.

[@mattmustarde5582]

@@Eidolon1andOnly look at Nicholas Rehm's video where he made a 3 bladed rotating drone - he proved measurable efficiency gains from having a spinning prop body than the same drone using only small props for lift. The drone motors driving the small props at a 45 degree angle to spin/lift the drone body can spin slower than when the motors are pointed vertically.

[@_test_test]

wow. such a work

[@Interpause]

crap i didnt even realize this was from my uni lol EDIT: shouldnt the testing have been done in the drone arena cuz of the airspace regulations

[@johnwiltson3164]

yep 👍

[@elxero2189]

damn! pretty cool

[@caturlifelive]

Awesome, i hope this uav didnt use for milllitary purpose

[@d4ro]

Ballerina drone xD

[@TaigiTWeseDiplomat--Formosan]

Yes it's folded but by putting your motor on the opposite directions it's just a flying propeller which can do nothing with a sophisticated maneuver like the bird... and I couldn't tell the relation between this propeller and the bird besides it can make it smaller while flying sometimes or not.

[@weirdsciencetv4999]

This is really clever

[@rickhubka]

Way Cool. It's not a drone or helicopter or ???. Never seen anything like this before. Way outside of the Box!!!

[@megatesla]

Tip thrust rotor craft have been around for decades. Even $20 toys like the Wowwee Bladestar from almost 20 years ago. The only thing that makes this project unique is the variable length blades.

[@NexGen-3D]

Basically a variable geometry powered boomerang :)

[@mark6302]

brilliant

[@Sugar_K]

How does it do fpv? 😂

[@Todd_G_FPV]

Ha, im curious too

[@darkmann12]

Lol

[@lankoubreihz5887]

juste awesom

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

*just *awesome

[@DanFrederiksen]

I'm thinking no :)

[@jacobdavidcunningham1440]

that's great control

[@bakuaeater]

you sir have unlock flying saucer technology

[@yxhankun]

excellent.

[@vacoff2717]

great fucking work.

[@MollyWi]

Great... real life manhack...

[@Badkitty24]

So it's a flying propeller? ya...that will be safe in school yards and parks...

[@Cjx0r]

0:42 when they third hand comes into frame...

[@Cyberdactyl]

Can't think of a worthwhile application but still nice work.