Experimental + Education Drones
We produce custom aircraft for experimentation, testing and development of both payloads and unusual aircraft configurations for industry and education.
- Lidar Mapping
- Thermal imaging
- Tree Planting
- Surveying
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
We’ll get you flying sooner and more cost effectively
We have extensive experience of design and development of customised and fully bespoke aircraft for experimentation, development and education.
Experimental
As technology moves forward we are finding an increasing requirement for the development and testing of unusual and novel payloads. Our aircraft are ideal platforms if you need to carry something not yet optimised for flight, sensitive to RF or magnetics, or simply large, heavy and awkward. We can help get you in the air and collecting data as quickly and safely as possible.
Considering a novel aircraft configuration? We can help with anything from simple advice to a full design and build.
Education
Universities often have projects to develop unusual applications and payloads, from RF monitoring to quantum communications. They also often have ongoing projects to monitor the environment, weather, air quality, water quality, or undertake specific mapping or surveying. Our highly reliable and versatile aircraft can normally be adapted to almost any application even in extreme environments.
See some examples below.
EDUCATION: Ice Monitoring in Extreme Environments
This Harrier 6 variant was supplied to Boise State University to carry a bespoke aerial radar system developed by JPL/NASA for monitoring the depth and density of the seasonal snowpack. This aircraft has been flown over sea ice taking off over 1 km out from the northernmost point on the North American continent and at altitudes up to 10000+ feet on the highest mesa in the United States, quite often in freezing conditions and sometimes well below. It has been operating in these extreme environments without issue for more than 5 years.
Image courtesy of Thomas van de Wiede @ Boise State University.
EDUCATION: Ground Penetrating Radar
This compact foldable X8 was designed and built for Cranfield University to carry a new and extremely light GPR system. The small size and light weight allowed for very good flight times, and made for an easily transported and quickly deployed system, but the GPR needed to be operated as close to the ground as possible. Using accurate ground facing sensors we were able to have aircraft accurately follow the terrain at altitudes as low as 50cm from the ground.
EXPERIMENTAL: Tree Planting Drone
This was the first version of an aircraft system we developed to test a very interesting application. The concept was to vastly improve reforestation rates by firing pre-germinated seeds in biodegradable nutrition pods directly into the ground from the air. The aim is to plant 1 billion trees per year, replacing the slow and difficult manual planting methods currently in use.
The aircraft is fitted with an air powered seed gun powerful enough to penetrate ground vegetation and surface soil, getting the seed directly into the ground… and it works very well! We eventually went on to develop a ‘production’ version and supplied a small fleet of aircraft. At full capacity the final aircraft were able to plant up to 600 tress in 10 minutes!
EXPERIMENTAL: Zero 1 TV
This is an early version of an aircraft that utilises thrust vectoring on all four motors for directional and yaw control, with the idea that the airframe can manoeuvre and / or hold its position across the ground by altering the angle of thrust of each motor individually, allowing the airframe to remain level at all times. This means there is no need for the aircraft to change the angle of the frame itself when making transitional moves and the payload can be kept very nearly level at all times without the need for additional stabilisation.
EXPERIMENTAL: Offshore Auto Landing System
This aircraft was built for testing an autonomous landing system for use offshore in a situation where both the drone and the uncrewed boat are both operating autonomously. Taking off and landing on a moving deck in the North Sea is no easy task, but to do this when both the drone and the boat it is landing on are both fully autonomous is complex to say the least. Details of the control system are currently not public, but due to the tough conditions of operation the key feature of this aircraft is that it (and it’s externally mounted batteries) are built to withstand full immersion in sea water.
EXPERIMENTAL: Aerial Lidar – First Ever Drone Flight 2013
This aircraft was (as far as we know) the first drone to ever carry an aerial lidar mapping system. The initial prototype payload was developed in the UK by RouteScene, and we were fortunate enough to be the first to provide an aircraft that could lift it, and fly it in anger for the first time. More than 10 years on, the RouteScene LidarPod stands as the bench mark for light weight aerial Lidar systems offering accuracy well beyond the competition in this weight range. It is still one of the highest accuracy and lightest aerial lidar systems in the world and we regularly supply aircraft to customers to fly this payload. See our ‘Commercial & Industrial’ section for more on the current system.
EXPERIMENTAL: Hex 8
Unfortunately we cannot discuss the payload or application for this particular aircraft, or the reasons behind why it was developed. However the Hex 8 is a truly unique aircraft configuration with the redundancy offered by 8 motors and with the improved efficiency of having only two pairs of co axial motors. The machine also maintains the benefits gained by co axial aircraft in handling difficult weather conditions. The Hex 8 folds neatly into a compact form for transportation.
How long does it take to build a custom drone?
This will vary considerably depending on the nature of the project. We are able to produce anything from a custom sensor suite on a standard drone, to a fully bespoke aircraft designed from the ground up. Most custom projects start from a relatively standard frame, in which case around 6 – 8 weeks is normal, although this will vary depending on the work we are currently undertaking. We are happy to give a good indication of this when we start to discuss your project, and we are often able to expedite production if required.
What types of sensors and payloads can be integrated?
There are a wide range of sensors and communications that can improve the functionality of your aircraft, and we will suggest the best options once we start to understand your project.
For payloads, given certain weight and size limits, we can normally carry just about anything! We have integrated almost all commercially available payload sensor packages, including Lidar, GPR, magnetometers, camera systems, lights, gas sensors, ranging equipment, water sampling, and more. We have also worked with customers to lift all sorts of experimental payloads, even sometimes flying equipment that was never designed to be used in the air. We can supply power from the aircraft, independent communications, shielding from magnetic and RF interference, extreme weather proofing, payload control, release mechanism, stabilisation and anti vibration systems, and much more.
Are custom drones more expensive than off-the-shelf?
Not necessarily! As all our aircraft are specified for each application and then built to order, additional cost is often limited only to the cost of any specific additional equipment that needs to be included in the system. Inevitably, higher levels of customisation can incur higher costs, but this is not necessarily nearly as expensive as you might expect. We are happy to give cost estimates once we understand the requirements, and always supply detailed quotes once the details are agreed.
What do we consider when building a custom drone?
All aspects of the system are considered from project feasibility to the legality of the operations. We start by looking at what the aircraft needs to achieve and work backwards, considering the nature and function of the payload, specific operational requirements of the application, circumstances and conditions of use, performance requirements, weather and altitude resilience, transportability, deployment time, maintenance, ease of use and much more.
Need an ‘outside the box’ solution? We’re the company to talk to.
