World's Smallest Cyclocopter: 29 grams
Innovative carbon composite rotor blades (0.12 grams each) and pitch links (10 milligrams), sub-millimeter accuracy, custom 1.3-gram autopilot.
Cyclocopters get particularly interesting at very small scales because of their combination of very high maneuverability and potential for excellent efficiency. They have experimentally demonstrated the higher aerodynamic efficiency (thrust per unit aerodynamic power).
Do you have any data on this "excellent efficiency" ?
Comments
Their previous X quad is interesting, but with the available vectored thrust, an H style quad that can also fly forward more efficiently using full thrust of 4 rotors (rather than losing some thrust due to cant) would be great for a commercial UAV. Though that concept for a complete compact two rotor with shell that fits in the hand sure looks pretty.
Hrm, just had a brain fart for an H quad derivative. Turn the H sideways so the rotor axis is forward/back, and put an endcap bar that stretches from forward rotor ring to rear rotor ring. Shape the bar into a wing, turning the shape into an 8 shape tailsitter. Now the point of this is that the main body is the center bar of an 8. Place camera turrets at both ends of the center bar body. Now you have a UAV with twin cameras, suitable for twin source FPV for VR goggles. Depending on the size of the body, you may have the cameras at near interpupillary distance or a suitable multiple.