Da Vinci's "Helicopter", revived with modern drones (CNET JAPAN) --Yahoo! News

Da Vinci's "Helicopter", images revived with modern drones

　In the late 1480s, Leonardo da Vinci left a wonderful design of a single -seater helicopter flying in the "Aerial Screw". If you have seen it, you may be wondering if such a helicopter really flies. And now we know the answer. The genius Italian was right. Since 2019, the Maryland University Engineering Team has designed and tested the technique of the helicopter as part of the design contest. Over a year and a half, team members Austin Prete assembled an unmanned quad -cottad loan "CRIMSON SPIN" using a design like a screw drawn by Da Vinci, and repeated short flights several times. 。 "I was really surprised at what worked," PRETE said. He is a graduate student from the Faculty of Aerospace Aerospace Aerospace Aerospace Aerospace Aerospace and assembled the drone to get his master's degree. Both PRETE and other members were skeptical at first, but after finding out that some computer simulation and the screw prototype made with 3D prints were promising. PRETE introduced the drone for the first time in a video of the transformative Vertical Flight 2022, a conference on vertical take -off and landing and landing in San Jose, California. This project is a good example of how the latest technology is far from conventional airplanes and helicopters. Nevertheless, aircraft, such as a flying cork, planned in the 15th century, will not deliver Amazon luggage soon. At this conference, a number of strange aircraft that took off vertically like a helicopter and could fly horizontally like an airplane was shown. Companies, such as Kittyhawk, Airbus, Transcend Air, and Jaunt, want to revolutionize air transport and carry people with flying taxis. PRETE produced only a small drone, but this technology could be applied to a large aircraft that could carry people. "I'm convinced that this should be able to scale up well," he said. PRETE has benefited from the ingredients that Da Vinci was not available. Building materials, such as wood and skin, are the most advanced building materials in the Renaissance era, are too large for aircraft. In the Da Vinci era, there was no compact energy source. In response, PRETE was able to design an air screw using aluminum, plastic, electric, battery, and computer control systems. CAD and calculated fluid dynamics have also helped PRETE design prototypes and simulate air mechanics on computers. This article edited by Asahi Interactive for an article from overseas RED VENTURES for Japan.