[Chat Log] April-May 2019

[Deric Storm]

the drone would probably have to be the size of a small helicopter

 

[Deric Storm]

basically it would BE a small helicopter

 

[Deric Storm]

because it depends on the size of the person being transported as well as how far

 

[Eugene]

Still on @Claire Yeon ?

 

[Claire Yeon]

Aye.

 

[Eugene]

So before we get into quantifying your notion of meaningful time or distance, the biggest constraint is going to be your powerplant. There are already examples in the wild of electric fixed wing aircraft, but they're a comparatively lower bar since they don't have to produce a TWR greater than 1, whereas a rotorcraft by definition is 1>TWR.

 

[Eugene]

So your question really is do you want to stick with traditional lithium ion batteries, or explore an alternative powerplant. The physical layout of the vehicle is gravy at that point.

 

[Claire Yeon]

What sort of "alternatives" would we be talking about?

 

[Eugene]

The most popular line of research is towards hydrogen fuel cells, although if you're open to more banal alternatives, jet fuel still has fantastic power density.

 

[Eugene]

A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Drone

When we think about hydrogen and flying machines, it’s quite common to imagine Zeppelins, weather balloons and similar uses of hydrogen in lighter-than-air craft to lift stuff of the ground. …

hackaday.com

 

[Deric Storm]

and who doesn't want a jetpack?

 

[Claire Yeon]

If the objective is to minimize weight, bulkiness, and likelihood of exploding, what would you recommend?