The New Voliro – A new dimension in drone control
- Charl Jooste
- Jun 14, 2017
- 2 min read
Image: Voliro
New developments in multicopter drones make so really impressive and exciting flight and maneuverability with the ability to do so much more than simply hover horizontally. A great example of the new technology can be seen in the new Voliro. Still in prototype stage, this drone uses six props with the ability to tilt 360 degrees. This results in the drones’ ability to move through a range of 12 degrees and is an impressive site to behold.
We previously told you about the amazing cube designed drone with rotors positioned at different angles and had the flying ability to move in any orientation necessary as well as intelligent algorithms to calculate the flight path of a ball thrown into the air. The drone efficiently calculated its path in milliseconds and successfully caught the ball in a net connected to an arm on the drone.
Video: YouTube user Voliro ETHZ
While the Voliro does not put on the same type of show, it is still extremely impressive to watch in action. The prototype is still a pretty regular looking drone design and was planned and put together in only 9 months. The unique design of the hexacopter, incorporating 6 props, each capable of 360-degree tilt, can hover at any angle you desire, including sideways and even upside down.
The team behind the design and development of the Voliro consists of 11 determined students from ETH Zurich. The agility and acrobatic capabilities of their prototype is fascinating to behold. There is precious little this drone can not do in terms of flight and movement in the air. One of their main goals, which they achieved admirably, is the drones ability to hug onto walls or structures, at any angle. This opens up a huge new range of possibilities and applications, particularly in the infrastructure inspection field.
Obviously the more complex the flight possibilities, the more challenging the controls. Fortunately, much of the precision controlling required is guided by sophisticated flight control software. Irrespective of what mode you fly in, the intelligent controls are guiding and helping constantly to ensure the drone does what is required. Having said that, it requires good flying skills and quite a bit of practice to master this level of sophistication.
SOURCE: New Atlas