New drone designs appear to be popping up all over the place. But here's one we thought is worth checking out. The ARcopter is a newly designed VTOL drone designed by a company called Colugo Systems. Unlike other VTOLs, however, the ARcopter is capable of landing and hovering in windy conditions as its wings are flexible and never become a sail, said Colugo's CEO Amit Regev. Regev claims the ARcopter has performed accurate landings at wind speeds as high as 25 mph.
"This advantage is essential while operating in an urban zone where missing the landing spot can lead to a disaster," Regev said.
The ARcopter is designed with flexible wings, four motors and two batteries. Due to increased efficiency with the wing, the ARcopter can fly at horizontal speeds up to 25 knots and is capable of flying for up to two hours. A similarly built quadcopter can fly for about 40 minutes, Regev said.
Regev said it is designed for multiple missions, such as aerial mapping, agriculture, security missions, inspections and monitoring, public safety and aerial deliveries.
At this stage the ARcopter is only a prototype. Regev is looking for investors to grow his business and expand the product line. The first ARcopter is expected to carry a payload of a little more than a pound, but later designs will be able to carry as much as 22 pounds, Regev said. He said he even foresees the ARcopter concept to one day be able to carry passengers.
Check out the ARcopter in flight here.
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