Column: Airspace
All aboard the Big Drone
By Mark Patrick, Director of technical content, Mouser Electronics E
lectric propulsion has captured the imagination of many – particularly for its ability to reduce emissions. In fact, it’s easy to understand the benefits for urban air quality by comparing a line of electric vehicles (EVs) waiting in a traffic queue, with a
group of conventional vehicles running on combustion engines. As well as EVs, the technology to build traction-capable
drives has enabled many other types of electric, zero- emission vehicles to become a reality, such as e-bikes, e-scooters and drones. When it comes to drones, simple quadcopters and evolved
multi-rotor airframes have become very successful, used in many types and sizes of drones, including tiny hobby ones, airborne photographic platforms and large cargo-carrying types. The multi-rotor type is ideal for ad-hoc flying, where
drones can take off and land vertically with no runway or formal launch base. Other benefits include good stability, an essential requirement for photographic purposes, and easy maneuverability that allows pilots to learn to control the vehicle quickly.
Passenger ready? As with any new technology, there are usability questions that must be addressed; for example: • Can we make them big enough to carry people? If so, how many can be carried?
• Is a pilot needed? • Could a passenger drone fly autonomously? • How would passengers feel about this?
10 November 2023
www.electronicsworld.com
• What about safety, for passengers as well as non-passengers? These questions lead to the overarching question of
“What are the prospects for urban air mobility (UAM)?” And startups are not the only type of organisation asking it. Uber and car companies like Volkswagen and Daimler, in
addition to the traditional aircraft giants like Boeing, have suggested how UAM could work, providing short-distance air travel in and around cities. Some have displayed prototype drones, albeit not full-sized, whereas others have only shown static models and artists’ impressions. Although excitement has been building around these
announcements for some years now, evidence of real flight tests with or without passengers is sparse. As with the scene around commercial drone use, the technical challenge of putting a suitable vehicle in the air is only one aspect. The legal issues surrounding usage permissions, liabilities, access to airspace and more are complicated and require involvement of many stakeholders. The engineering issues that will be encountered, effectively scaling up an already known airworthy concept, will have their challenges, too.
Technicalities Developing a passenger-ready electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft suitable for UAM, like an air taxi for example, will not be easy. There are complex challenges, and expertise is needed in multiple disciplines, to address the following:
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