The Florida-based tech company Undefined Technologies announced its unique drone with ionic propulsion has completed an outdoor flight test which means it’s ready to be released commercially in 2024, as per the report by The New Atlas.
The drone, dubbed Silent Ventus, uses proprietary technology to ionize nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air around it to create the “ionic wind” which propels the drone towards the direction in which it would like to take. According to Unknown, the drone could be used to transport cargo transport.
An ion propulsion cargo drone
Although it hasn’t been utilized in large-scale drone projects on Earth prior to now, ionic propulsion isn’t something new. It’s one of the top techniques available to us today to propel deep space exploration as well as other space-related applications.
According to Undefined it, the “Air Tantrum” Ionic propulsion technology generates about 150 times more thrust than existing technology for ion thrusters.
Earlier this year, the company released footage of a two-and-a-half-minute indoor flight test, saying the drone emitted 85 decibels of noise. The company claims to have piloted a prototype for 4 and a half minutes, but it’s released just one minute and 17 second of film. The drone company claims it has achieved a noise of less than 75 decibels.
The company is now looking to raise additional funds in the development of a zero emission cargo delivery drone in 2023. It could be flying for up to 15 minutes, and emit less than 70 decibels.
“This 4+ minute flight demanded improvements on the chemical structure of these batteries, which allow us to achieve more energy density,” Undefined’s Lead Aerospace Engineer, Thomas Benda Jr. explained in an announcement. “This enhancement can be attributed to our effort to make lighter weights more feasible.”
Drone startup claims its drone is commercially profitable
Undefined claims that its “silent” drones with a sound level of 70 decibels are likely to cause less noise complaints in the areas that will be serviced by drones for cargo delivery in urban areas in the near future. It’s important to point out that Undefined was no plans to evaluate its drones with huge payloads. This will require more thrust and likely