Ok now I have seen it "all"... For some reason I were not stunned to see that it was Lady GaGa who made this first.. But here we are.
On their video it looks a bit badly tuned but it flies. Unfortunately video cannot be embedded to Ning so everyone need to look it by them selfs.
LADY GAGA has clad herself in everything from meat to Kermit the Frogs, but her latest wardrobe wonder raised more than eyebrows when she wore a flying dress to promote her new album, Artpop.
At a secret New York event Gaga slipped into the battery-powered couture contraption, called Volantis, and hovered about a foot above the ground thanks to the hexi-copter design by Techhaus Studio XO.
The dress claims to be the world's first flying outfit but, before you tear up your bus tickets, Gaga explains it's more symbolic than transport solution.
Original post in here with video: http://www.news.com.au/technology/design/lady-gaga-wears-worlds-first-flying-dress/story-fnjwubd2-1226757583590
That's one fancy frame I would say. Maybe we need to start making those at jDrones ;)
Comments
@Gus, I have seen some EDF flights but all of those that I have seen are not flying snappy. They all fly rather soft. I gotta agree with you, this device or LG does not destroy industry. It's actually wonderful to see that LG can adapt all new technologies..
6S, 5000mAh and 5mins.. That's really low, with traditional way we can get close to 30mins with same battery combination and with 15" propellers.
@Darrell... ;)
Thanks, Cliff! There was a gap between the props and the shrouds which are all 2-blade carbon fiber. Your Y-3 with canted EDFs sounds interesting. My EDF tricopter has 70 mm aluminum alloy ducts with Wemotec rotors. I have custom wound inrunner motors to get the kV down and the voltage up to 6S. It is a screamer and I get about 5 minutes of flight time with 5000 mAh packs. I have flown it in 25 mph winds quite effortlessly.
The truss and torso cover on the Volantis were designed by Studio XO and their new division which is called Tech Haus. They make "wearable technology." They made several dresses for Lady Gaga; one of which makes bubbles and the other has hundreds of micro servos which move plates via DMX computer programming. You can google Studio XO and see what they do; they are very creative and impressive people...
Great job Gus. BTW, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24900291, at 0:32, I'm sure we can guess that look was the "holy #@?! what was I thinking!" look. Classic.
How close are those prop blades to the ducts (yep, it's all about clearances). Sounds more like a coaxial Y6 in shrouds vs [technically] pure ducted fans (I have a Y-3 w/70mm canted EDFs & sounds very different from any prop setup as you need higher rpms). I can see the forward bias built-in so you can focus on yaw control.
Very fashionable torso cover (for safety I bet?), nice touch. Looks much like having a race car flywheel spinning at 10,000 rpms in a prototype housing next to your leg... and you're wearing shorts....
She's cool. What if I build my own Gaga compatible multirotor? Will she magically appear? This small stuff is passé
Hello Jani,
Thanks for welcoming me to this forum. I have been actively developing UAS for 7 years but I generally do not post photos or comments about my research and development. I am still under an NDA so I cannot discuss the technical details about Volantis but I will be talking about my experience on the SUAS News Podcast or DroneTV in the near future.
It is a common misconception that a multirotor will be more stable with its CG on the center of the Z-axis. I have thousands of flights on multirotors of all sizes and having a slightly forward CG can improve stability, especially when that is the preferred direction of flight. As long as there is enough "headroom" with the power system, the flight controller will compensate. While there may be a slight decrease in efficiency, there may be an increase in stability. As a pilot with over 3,500 hours of experience, I can assure you that having a slightly forward CG is beneficial for stability. Remember, everything in aviation is a trade-off.
Have you ever built and flown and EDF multicopter? I can guarantee if low quality motors, rotors, and plastic shrouds are used your chance of success is minimal. The clearance between the rotor blades and the duct must be minimal. Rigid carbon fiber ducts are ideal and CF rotors are a must. Ed and I have proven you are wrong, just find the videos online.
One last word about my meeting with LG. She wants to inspire todays youth to use technology in new and innovative ways. She will do more to advance multirotor technology than most other people. Sorry, Mr. CheapDrones, but I disagree with you about Volantis setting back the drone industry. In my opinion, it is cheap, unreliable drones which will set this industry back, not Lady Gaga.
@Sergios, compassmot value only affects automatic navigation not normal stabile free flight. But yeah it could be big but then again you have also big frame so it would be easy to put compass far from noise.
@Gus, it's great to see you here too. I am ( i think we all ) are really interested to hear more about the whole project how it was growing and what types of difficulties you and whole team faced on constructing that hexa. Was there any design ideas where Gaga would have been on middle at Z-Axis. That would have made pendulum effect a lot less.
About EDF. Sure you can build and make EDF multis that's not the question. It's more like how much energy you need to use for precise control of the airflow. Best way to use EDFs would be with control fins like on that Jet pack model earlier. It is really difficult and energy consuming to make EDF to react fast enough. Proof me wrong :)
Just out of curiosity let us know what is Volantis weight, battery capacity and what flying time you can get without Payload... ehm i mean GaGaload. And next time you see her, give our regards to her. I think whole community can join on that :)
Thanks, Josh!
Jani, thanks for posting but you are incorrect about the stability of the Volantis. With a slightly lower payload she is incredibly stable and graceful in flight. With all due respect, you are also incorrect about multirotors with EDF propulsion. I have built and flown several tricopters with EDFs and they are among the most stable aircraft, especially in high wind. Their extremely high speed of the rotor creates a gyroscopic effect which increases stability. Additionally, the duct prevents disturbances from the wind, especially in gusty conditions. The key to success it to use a very efficient inrunner motor and a high quality rotor like a Wemotec for example. If you operate the power system at a higher voltage like 6S it is possible to have enough "headroom" for maneuvering thrust. A friend of mine, Ed Kirk, has also built and flown a quad with EDF propulsion and his video is online. The reason he built his was because people said it could not be done. Those people were wrong.
Joe, I am an FAA licensed commercial pilot and I have read the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). The FAA does not have authorization of the inside of a warehouse, or anyone's house for that matter.
Harry, Volantis will fly again soon. At the moment, LG said she is not for sale and is "priceless!"
NO, As far as you can see, Somewhere between 300$ and 20.000$, definitely NO ...
Fly her again. How high can she go, Mr.? How much does it cost? Can I fly her?
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