Uses Ducted Fan Technology Rather Than Exposed Rotors

A new Indiegogo campaign promises a UAV that its developer says is nearly indestructible, and safe for people -- with a new 'propellerless' design from former Caltech scientists.

Polyhelo is building a compact flying vehicle. Unlike other UAVs on the market, the Nano Tornado flyer is built around ducted fan technology. It doesn't have exposed spinning propellers, which means there are no fast moving blades that could cut you or bystanders. It also means that bumps, scrapes against walls, tree trunks, etc. do not break the delicate blades holding the vehicle in the air. When storing the drone, there is nothing to assemble or disassemble. There is no risk of putting pieces on incorrectly and no time delay while preparing to fly.

Polyhelo says that many recreational drone flights end expensively due to crashes into obstacles or injury from propellers. It's why interest in the Nano Tornado's Indiegogo campaign is high from both professional and hobbyist operators. "For years now, people have been asking for something that doesn't destroy its blades on contact," says developer Mark Richardson. "We've been pushed to get the Nano Tornado to market quickly."

Safely enclosed deep inside the vehicle body, the hidden fans make the cake-sized drone resemble a UFO, the company says. Solving these problems "lets everyone get into drones without the danger," says Richardson, "and you can go so many places that others can't."

The UAV comes with either the Polaroid Cube or Fat Shark live feed camera, according to a company YouTube video.

The Polyhelo team designs and builds software and hardware for open blade multirotor systems and other unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The company says it has experience in spacecraft sensor design and spacecraft instrumentation and our team of electrical, mechanical, and software engineers solve current UAS problems and influence the future of UAS technology.

On the Indigogo site, the company has raised about $5,000 of its $50,000 goal.

(Images provided by Polyhelo)

FMI: http://polyhelo.com/