Tilting rotor drone – actuator-free – flies faster, longer in trials

Fancy being able to reach faster speeds while getting better battery performance in the air? A group of researchers at UC Berkeley may have found a way to provide that by experimenting with self-tilting rotors that keep their drone flat, thus reducing drag.

Tests with the tilting rotor drone were carried out by staffers at Berkeley’s High Performance Robotics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and sought to minimize the craft’s “drag area and therefore (allow) for faster, more agile, and more efficient flight.” To do that, they created a quadcopter with an unactuated rotor tilting mechanism whose pivoting propellers enabled rapid forward movement while keeping the drone’s body flat – a position that minimizes aerial friction and yields enhanced performance.

Read: Berkeley researchers design self-folding in-flight drone arms 

Indeed, during their trials, the team found their test drone – during periods of added thrust – flew…