Toothless was our first aircraft and our first go at the IMechE UAS Challenge. Eight motors pointing up handled take-off and landing, and a ninth pushed it forward in flight.
At the competition
The design presentation came third. Then a crash ended the flying early, and Toothless finished 19th of 32 teams.
Specs
- Nine propellers: eight for lift, one facing forward
- 500 W in plane mode, up to 2.5 kW in VTOL
- 1,400 × 2,000 × 220 mm (length × width × height)
The idea
Take off from a small patch of ground, switch to fixed-wing flight to save energy, and carry aid without needing a runway. Every aircraft we’ve built since has been a version of that.