“Do more with less” is a mantra that has allowed Singapore to achieve a higher GDP per capita than the United States, even though Singapore is about 13,673 times smaller than the US. The same concept has now enabled researchers to develop a rotary-wing drone that doesn’t need “extravagant” components like two whole wings or four separate motors. F-SAM is a monocopter drone that weighs only 69 grams, can achieve a maximum lateral speed of 2.37 m/s, and fly for about 16 minutes with its semi-rigid wing.
Developed by the Singapore University of Technology & Design, F-SAM stands for Foldable Single Actuator Monocopter. As the name indicates, the drone can be folded – much like a Swiss Roll – to fit into your fist, and it uses only one actuator for control.
The design of this monocopter drone takes inspiration from samara seeds, also known as helicopter seeds. Samara is a type of dry fruit whose seeds are surrounded by a papery wing that carries them…
