New to the forum, so apologies if anyone has posted something similar recently.  I did search and didn't find anything similar.

I'm working on a project where I'd like to have a drone lift a medium-sized weight (maybe max out at around 5 to 10 pounds), and carry it only about 15 to 20 feet above the ground.  The drone will be tethered, and could be powered and controlled by wires hanging down from it beneath it. 

The different part of this project is that the drone itself doesn't have to carry its power source, and really only needs vertical control.  Hopefully that simplifies it considerably to keep it cost-effective.

I would want it to have some kind of stabilization to keep it upright and lifting "up".  As far as forward/backward and yaw, I'd like to just "drag it around" as opposed to "flying" it.  Simpler the better.

I'm pretty technical, and am good at mixing and matching parts, but this will be the first drone I've built. 

Things I am curious about:

1.  Does someone make something like this already to save me a lot of time?

     1.b.  Is there something close I could just modify?

2.  What motors, propellers and controller would be appropriate? 

3.  Is it feasible to just "drag" the drone around once it has a load under it? Like a dog leash.  And just have a control for altitude? 

4.  Is it reasonable to expect a drone with a decent lifting capability to stay stable enough to not need an operator constantly make adjustments?  What about in lite & variable winds (not using it in heavy winds)

5.  Are some motors better for sustained operation?  Do they overheat after a while?  Do they need some kind of cooling mechanism?  I'd expect them to operate for several hours at a time under load.

I know what I know, and I know there's things I don't know.  Now, please inform me of the things I don't know I don't know.

Thanks in advance!

You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!

Join diydrones

Email me when people reply –

Activity