We had this piece of news on our hands for more than week. We hesitated because, we are not sure if we could explain what it is in a nutshell. On one hand, we welcome the fact that someone is thinking outside the box in the area of electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) propulsion, but on the hand, it takes quite a bit of effort to comprehend the Cyclogyro rotor that CycloTech is proposing. In short, it’s complicated.
The Austrian research and development company is working to apply Voith Schneider propeller (VSP) aka cycloidal drive, which is widely use in marine propulsion system, in aviation. I guess it should work just as well, right? I mean, it’s just different fluid that the principle has to work on. No?
Anyhoo… the idea is to combine the benefits of rotary and fixed-wing flight principles to create Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) that is fast and efficient in forward flight while having extremely high maneuverability.
Now, you may be thinking. Don’t we already have those? Well, yes, we sure have, but CycloTech eVTOL Propulsion System is a lot more sophisticated. CycloTech claims that its patented technology is currently the only Cyclogyro rotor concept in the world that is capable of delivering high rotating speed, sufficient thrust, and efficient energy consumption.
The concept of using a paddle streamer-like prop design isn’t new. It was patented nearly 100 years ago, but never really made it into mainstream aircraft design. I wonder why… We shan’t try to explain how it works. Instead, here’s a video detailing the principle of Cyclogyro rotor:
Simply put, Cyclogyro rotor promised agility like you never seen before. Plus, the ability to move in any direction without tilting like traditional VTOLs do is definitely an added bonus.
CycloTech has developed a prototype carbon fiber cylinder with five titling carbon blades that can spin at 3,100 RPM and develops a peak thrust of 247 N (55.5 lb). An 80 kg (176 lbs) electric demonstrator will be ready to take to the sky later this year.
There’s no mention of noise generation and the downwash – both which are the main concerns with urban air mobility. Meanwhile, you can learn more in this article HERE, or hit up CycloTech website for more details.
Images: CycloTech.
Source: New Atlas.
