Flowcopter (hydraulic drone)

2022: Making a Drone

At the end of February 2022, Flowcopter announced the world's first hydraulic drone, which is designed to eliminate the shortcomings of conventional drones, such as the range and weight of the payload. The estimated flight time of the device is up to six hours, the flight range is up to 900 km, and for short-distance flights it can carry a payload of 150 kg.

As noted in a press release, the creation of the Flowcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was inspired by the decision of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute of Great Britain ( RNLI) to create a companion drone to solve the problem of marine lifeboats. As of February 2022, the UAV is the only apparatus capable of meeting extreme requirements for range and carrying capacity in maritime conditions. The cost of UAVs from Flowcopter is less than $1 thousand.

The world's first hydraulic drone has been developed. It can fly 900km

UAVs can have different degrees of autonomy from remotely controlled to fully automatic, as well as differ in design, purpose and a variety of other parameters. The main advantage of UAVs is the significantly lower cost of their creation and operation.

Flowcopter uses certified aircraft internal combustion engines instead of low-density lithium batteries to generate more energy to increase payload and range while maintaining the stability of the vehicle in the air. The motors drive Digital Displacement pumps, which distribute and regulate hydraulic flow to maintain drone equilibrium and operate the hydraulic motors of the 96 kW air device. With their help, it is possible to adjust the hydraulic flow between several engines, instantly responding to digital control commands, which is very important for balancing a flying UAV. The power of each such engine is 130 liters. from. with a weight of 5.5 kg. The company claims that no electric drone even comes close to Flowcopter in range and carrying capacity.^[1]

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