How's this for big?

[mobilehomer]

It takes less than an hour to learn how to fly this unreal aircraft! That’s less than driving lessons 😮 sign me up!🔥 @sergi.galiano #hexa #drone #tech | Supercar Blondie |

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[3rdof5]

Impressive! Looks like a smart design, with that many props you definitely have some redundancy if a motor or 2 fail in flight.
I'd love to have one!

 

[LoudThunder]

Here is a longer video and it only cost $495,000, What a bargain…

It may only take an hour to learn to fly it, but you are doing it in a simulator… Good thing, it only has a 15-minute flight time… I wonder if it has RTH when the batteries hit 20% or it just drops you where you are at…

 

[Rchawks]

Here is a longer video and it only cost $495,000, What a bargain…

It may only take an hour to learn to fly it, but you are doing it in a simulator… Good thing, it only has a 15-minute flight time… I wonder if it has RTH when the batteries hit 20% or it just drops you where you are at…

Good Question.

 

[moldorf]

hey! a bargain at under a half million dollars! I'll sell my house so I can buy a drone!

 

[LoudThunder]

I'll sell my house so I can buy a drone!

Then where will you keep it, how will you charge it? L L...

 

[moldorf]

Then where will you keep it, how will you charge it? L L...

good point...I may have to rethink selling my house

 

[LoudThunder]

I may have to rethink selling my house

Keep the house, start a FlyBnB. On their Web Site, they offer, or will offer a rent/lease plan… I live in a Zero Altitude Quadrant of an Air Force Base's Class D Airspace, so it counts me out… The FAA approved my authorization to fly my Mini 2 here because I'm 107'd, but I do not think I'll get away with this "drone"
L L…

 

[3rdof5]

18 props and 18 batteries. Obviously all the batteries will not drain evenly, depending on how you are flying which may not always be the best. Personally I would think one large battery would ensure all the motors would always have an equal amount of battery remaining, the same as our quads have now.

 

[LoudThunder]

18 props and 18 batteries. Obviously all the batteries will not drain evenly,

You are right about the battery drain issue. If you are only flying forward, the motors in the rear are pushing harder and they should drain first, but then you land, right???

The web site said that it can safely fly with 6-motors out. I wonder how that rigged that test, every third motor? If one side failed, I'll bet it would have to use that emergency parachute…

 

[moldorf]

18 props and 18 batteries. Obviously all the batteries will not drain evenly, depending on how you are flying which may not always be the best. Personally I would think one large battery would ensure all the motors would always have an equal amount of battery remaining, the same as our quads have now.

one large battery would probably weigh around 100 pounds. Likely be too heavy to remove and take to a charging station so there would need to be an onboard charging solution (more weight) which would likely add to cost

but more than that, I'd think a huge battery would present major engineering issues. Start with the mounting structure necessary to support that kind of weight. That needs to be stout metal or aluminum or titanium. It would probably add 15-20 pounds in weight over and above the battery. And there would need to be a motherboard for controlling discharge to the 18 motors. And of course around 200-250 feet of insulated wiring (more weight) likely housed within structural supports because you really wouldn't want that wiring exposed

but the most serious engineering issue might be difficult to overcome and that's having to locate and distribute the weight of battery and it's mounting to the exact center of gravity of the drone. It would have to be directly under or over the pilot

so think about it: one huge battery + battery housing structure + battery charge controller + power distribution harness + 200-250 feet of wiring + all necessary fasteners...that's a lot of weight

electric cars have battery/module/cell banks that have computer(s) managing even discharge and charge across the battery cell/modules. Maybe these 18 batteries have a similar system and having those batteries mounted directly under each motor, which is also in line with the force vector of propeller action, is the safest and simplest way for an even distribution of weight and force loads

 

[3rdof5]

one large battery would probably weigh around 100 pounds. Likely be too heavy to remove and take to a charging station so there would need to be an onboard charging solution (more weight) which would likely add to cost

but more than that, I'd think a huge battery would present major engineering issues. Start with the mounting structure necessary to support that kind of weight. That needs to be stout metal or aluminum or titanium. It would probably add 15-20 pounds in weight over and above the battery. And there would need to be a motherboard for controlling discharge to the 18 motors. And of course around 200-250 feet of insulated wiring (more weight) likely housed within structural supports because you really wouldn't want that wiring exposed

but the most serious engineering issue might be difficult to overcome and that's having to locate and distribute the weight of battery and it's mounting to the exact center of gravity of the drone. It would have to be directly under or over the pilot

so think about it: one huge battery + battery housing structure + battery charge controller + power distribution harness + 200-250 feet of wiring + all necessary fasteners...that's a lot of weight

electric cars have battery/module/cell banks that have computer(s) managing even discharge and charge across the battery cell/modules. Maybe these 18 batteries have a similar system and having those batteries mounted directly under each motor, which is also in line with the force vector of propeller action, is the safest and simplest way for an even distribution of weight and force loads

I agree completely, this design is far superior for keeping the weight to a minimum and I'm sure they considered both options.
Keeping the batteries directly mounted to the motors is genius electrically, no heavy gauge wires needed anywhere keeping control circuit wiring minimal.
I do like the direction they went with multiple motors for redundancy, we all know what happens to a quad when it loses 1 prop! I wouldn't want to ride one.
This I would definitely try out.