ROTOR TECHNOLOGIES


The start-up aims to unite the benefits of traditional helicopters and unmanned aircraft.


By Justin Bachman A 40


N ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF HELICOPTER work qualifies as perilous. Battling a raging wildfire. Conducting utility inspection work in treacherous ter- rain. Navigating cornfields dotted with wind turbines.


Contending with gusty winds buffeting offshore oil rigs. In such scenarios, piloting the helicopter remotely could increase


safety. It’s not a new idea, of course, with major manufacturers, from Airbus to Bell and Boeing to Sikorsky, all researching the tech- nical promise—and pitfalls—of remotely operated helicopters, many to serve military applications. On the civilian side of vertical flight, much of the commercial


focus has been on electric unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and manufacturers’ efforts to expand the capabilities of these plat- forms in areas such as agriculture and surveillance work. Into this burgeoning field of remotely piloted aircraft comes


Rotor Technologies, a small, 40-person New England start-up that’s evolving the well-known Robinson R44 workhorse into its own line of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The company has desig- nated the aircraft the R550 and calls it “the world’s largest civilian drone,” a helicopter that will be flown remotely. On Aug. 13, Rotor, as the company is known, introduced two R44


derivatives optimized for agricultural spraying work and for con- struction jobs. Rotor calls the former the Sprayhawk, with a 110-gal.


POWER UP SEP 2024


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