Category Archives: Science and Technology

Sci-Tech: Chinese EHANG184 drone designed for single passenger transport

The Chinese company EHANG is developing the EHANG184, an electric powered quadcopter style vehicle that is large enough to transport a single passenger. The vehicle flies autonomously, with no input from the passenger other than specifying the destination.

Ehang184-specsSpecifications – Click for larger image.

From company’s description of the vehicle:

Ehang 184 AAV [Autonomous Aerial Vehicle] is the safest, Eco-est and Smartest low altitude autonomous aerial vehicle, aiming on providing Medium-Short Distance communication and transportation solution.

The 184 AAV is designed with full redundancy – If one set of the power system are operating abnormal, the vehicle can still operate a normal flight plan and ensure the safety of the passenger together with the vehicle.
The 184 was designed to be a 100% with green technology, and is powered by electricity only. 

Four arms and eight propellers offer great lifting power and safety. Even with one propeller malfunctions, it can still land in the nearest possible area safely.

The 184 AAV has embedded with Ehangen fail safe system. If any components malfunction or disconnect, the aircraft will immediately land in the nearest possible area to ensure safety.

The communication is encrypted and each AAV has its independent key.

This video describes the background and goals of the project:

The EHANG184 is somewhat similar in concept to the German Volocopter, which is also derived from VTOL drone designs.

Sci-Tech – Video: UrbanAero’s AirMule VTOL vehicle successfully demos untethered flight

For several years I’ve been following the efforts of Israel’s Urban Aeronautics to develop a large ducted-fan vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. Good to see that they have now carried out an untethered flight of a full-scale unmanned AirMule vehicle. (The company has two subsidiaries, Tactical Robotics Ltd. and Metro Skyways Ltd., each aiming to develop the AirMule for different markets.)

AirMule successfully completed its first autonomous, untethered flight 

2015 was a challenging year that included a ground incident that damaged our AirMule demonstrator.  While the repair of the aircraft imposed a delay of several months on our development schedule, it also gave us an opportunity to make significant upgrades to the aircraft systems.  We installed new equipment and integrated new safety features.  In parallel to the repair and upgrade activity we initiated and carried out a rigorous examination process with the Israeli CAA in order to get authorization for untethered flight testing.

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The good news is that on December 30th, AirMule successfully completed its first autonomous, untethered flight at the Megiddo airfield in northern Israel.   We were extremely pleased to get permission from the CAA to fly in Megiddo and were able to set up a portable testing facility with full-time access to a small airfield.  The testing schedule in Megiddo includes plans for a demonstration of AirMule’s cargo delivery capability as well as a ‘beyond the line of sight’ flight along a path running through an adjacent, forested area.  All in all, we expect that in 2016 we will finally be able to demonstrate some of AirMule’s unique capabilities.

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Additionally, we achieved ‘category 2’ certification for an export variant of the aircraft known as ‘Cormorant’, under the international Missile Technology Control Regime (MCTR), an important element in the eventual marketing of the aircraft.

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We will keep you posted on developments.

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More details about the AirMule can be found in this data sheet (pdf).

Sci-tech: Tri-Alpha Fusion opens up

Tri-Alpha Fusion, a spin-off from the plasma fusion program at the University of California at Irvine, has been working for more than 15 years on an innovative design for a nuclear fusion power system. The company has raised over $140M in investment from venture capital firms and notables such as Paul Allen. However, except for occasional science publications, it has been very secretive about its progress and plans.

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After years of research and development, including development of multiple variations of C-2-style devices, TAE demonstrated sustained stable plasma performance in the C-2U device in June 2015, based on the use of neutral beams and electrical control of the boundary layer. Credits TAE.
This week the company, which is based in California, opened the website www.trialphaenergy.com with background info and goals for the company along with videos, images, and graphics.

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The C-2U machine is the world’s largest compact toroid (CT) device. At 20 meters in length, a diameter up to 1.4 meters, and with hundreds of ports, the device routinely achieves vacuum pressures nearly 1 trillionth of atmospheric pressure. Magnetic fields with strengths up to 3.5 Tesla guide and confine plasma, while pulsed power systems deliver approximately 1 megajoule of energy in microseconds, forming and accelerating CTs to 600,000 miles per hour. Credits TAE.
Tri-Alpha is aiming to produce energy with a proton-Boron fusion reaction, which does not produce neutrons.  This requires much higher temperatures and density than with, for example, tritium-deuterium, the fuel planned for the popular Tokamak fusion approach. However, all the complications of dealing with neutrons, such as making the structural materials radioactive, are avoided. Also, extraction of useful energy should be much easier.

Here is the “corporate video”:

TAE says that in June of this year it

demonstrated a significant breakthrough in addressing “long enough,” the most fundamental scientific challenge:  the company delivered sustained plasma performance in its C-2U machine. This milestone is indicative of indefinite plasma life, limited only by the constraints of current hardware and not by underlying physics. We believe this is a first for a compact, commercially competitive fusion technology.

They sound confident that they now have the basics necessary to produce commercial power:

TAE is determined to deliver clean fusion energy technology that can provide sustainable, commercially competitive base load power and help achieve global energy independence. We are now confident we have sufficient science and engineering understanding to accomplish our goal.

However, they need to work through at least one more iteration in the machine design before they can start developing a practical power generator:

TAE is next addressing the “hot enough” challenge. Both sophisticated modeling and actual performance data already indicate that the TAE plasma will perform better and better at higher and higher temperatures (“scaling law”). The company is currently designing new experiments and hardware (called C-2W) to validate this scaling law over the next three to four years.

TAE also has started to engage with utility and industrial partners to jointly develop a commercialization plan to license its technology. The key aspects of this plan are to determine the regulatory framework and demonstrate technology readiness. It is TAE’s vision to move as fast as possible toward a fusion-based power generation capability.

Here is a video outlining the physics of the system:

Update: I’ll note that the Univ. of Washington spin-off companies Helion Energy and MSNW LLC, both led by Dr. John Slough, a professor at UW, are using a similar FRC (Field Reverse Configuration) approach to both fusion power and fusion propulsion. These companies have less funding than TAE but still might make it a race with the financing that they do have.

 

Sci-Tech: Terrafugia to test scale prototype of roadable VTOL vehicle

I mentioned here back in May that Terrafugia was developing a second generation flying car called the  TF-X™. Unlike the company’s current Transition® roadable airplane, the TF-X will take-off and land vertically while also being able to be driven on roads.

Recently the FAA granted Terrafugia permission to test a 1/10 scale unmanned prototype of the TF-X: FAA Grants Terrafugia sUAS Exemption for TF-X™ Flight Testing – Terrafugia.

Here is a video showing how the TF-X would operate:

Sci-Tech: Videos – JetPack Aviation demos new JB-9 in NYC + Two Jetmen fly with A380 + Martin Jetpack update

JetPack Aviation is developing a dual jet turbine powered backpack that will keep a person aloft for up to 10 minutes (vs 30 seconds or so from traditional H2O2 powered rocket packs). Here is a recent demo of their latest model: The World’s Only Jetpack Soars Past the Statue of Liberty New York – JPA – Nov.4.2015

We’ve been test flying JB-9 for several years with awesome results. It is inherently stable but also capable of very dynamic maneuvers thanks to our approach to engine vectoring. Early testing of our next version, JB-10, indicates that it will achieve flights of over 10,000 feet altitude (not that many pilots will be needing to fly that high!), at speeds greater than 100 mph and with an endurance of 10 minutes + (depending on pilot weight).

All with a device you can put in the back seat of a car!

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Meanwhile, two Jetmen (Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet) in a completely different sort of back pack jet powered system jumped from a helicopter and flew in formation with an Airbus 380 over Dubai:

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Martin Aircraft‘s JetPack (which actually uses ducted fans instead of jets and is more of a platform than a back pack) continues to move towards commercial sales in second half of 2016. The company’s vehicles have been earning New Zealand permits for manned flight.

Glenn Martin, who was the founder and primary force behind the company’s technology, resigned in June primarily due to the fact that the new corporate management had decided to focus on the emergency services market rather than on personal flight: Jetpack firm founder Glenn Martin resigns suddenly – Stuff.co.nz

Here are videos of recent unmanned test flights:

This link goes to an interview with the current head of the company: Edison Investment Research Interview with Martin Jetpack – 13 October 2015 –

In this video interview, CEO and Managing Director Peter Coker discusses the technical aspects and potential applications for the Martin Jetpack, capitalising on its flexibility in demanding operational environments. He also outlines the ability to continue to fund the programme to full commercialisation. First commercial delivery is expected in the second half of 2016, with emergency first responders the initial target market. The move from a research-led, non-revenue company to a fully industrialised manufacturer provides an interesting proposition as future technical milestones are achieved, with technical risk mitigation a current priority.