Freebird

Introducing FreeBird, our 2024 UAS Challenge entry and winner of the “Most Promising Award”. This drone pushed the boundaries of our design philosophy by incorporating a novel propulsion system.

Key Innovations

• Tilting Front Rotors — A cutting-edge mechanism allowing for vector thrust control. This innovation enabled us to streamline the design, reducing the motor count from five to four compared to the previous year’s model while maintaining VTOL capabilities.
• Optimized Motor Layout — By eliminating the dedicated lift motor and utilizing tilting mechanisms, we achieved significant weight savings and reduced drag in forward flight.

Achievements

The Freebird’s unique design and potential were recognized at the UAS Challenge, where it was awarded the “Most Promising Award”. It demonstrated the team’s willingness to experiment with complex mechanical systems to achieve performance gains.

Technical Details

The airframe borrowed successful elements from previous iterations but was heavily modified to support the dynamic loads of the tilting rotor mechanism. The flight controller software was custom-tuned to handle the transition between hover and forward flight modes using the new actuator configuration.