Simon Sorensen, the creator of the YouTube channel RCLifeOn from Sweden, created a heavy drone that can lift over 100 kg of payload. The author faced challenges related to weight, battery capacity and programming. You can see in the video whether he finally managed to get the drone into the air.
Simon Sorensen, the creator of the YouTube channel RCLifeOn from Sweden, created a heavy drone that can lift over 100 kg of payload. The author faced challenges related to weight, battery capacity and programming. You can see in the video whether he finally managed to get the drone into the air.
To create an electric drone that could carry more than its own weight, several hurdles had to be overcome. First, Sorensen had to determine the ideal power requirements for his ambitious drone project, writes Interesting Engineering.
The battery is just one component of a drone; the frame, motor, rotors, and other equipment used in it can also weigh down the drone. That's why the creator settled on using a lightweight alternative — aluminum.
For the central part, he chose a wooden base that connects four drone supports with a diameter of 3.5 m.
The motor is quite powerful, so much so that Sorensen claims that the lithium-polymer batteries he uses limit its use at full power. However, he explains that he had to use lithium-polymer batteries to keep the drone light — although this does affect flight time.
He also chooses carbon fiber propellers to reduce weight. Judging by the video, the final weight of the drone is only 20 kg.
Sorensen also claims that at maximum power, the drone can lift 160 kg. However, the lightweight lithium battery limits the drone's lifting power to about 100 kg in the video.
The 3D-printed mount, small aluminum feet on all four legs, help the drone land after a flight.
In the video, Sorensen takes the drone out into an open field, then installs a battery and propellers. After troubleshooting some issues that took over two hours, the drone took off. However, it did experience some drift during its initial flight, and it didn’t touch down until a few minutes after takeoff. With some additional tweaks, Sorensen was able to get the drone off the ground.
