Modovolo Co-Founder and CEO Justin Name Discusses the Modern Bicycle Wheel-Impressed Drone
In a world the place high-cost drones with restricted flight occasions are frequent, Modovolo is breaking the mould with its Modovolo Raise. On this DRONELIFE Unique interview, Co-founder and CEO Justin Name shared insights into how this modular, bicycle wheel-inspired drone might provide each prolonged flight occasions and affordability. Although nonetheless in growth, the Raise’s design displays Modovolo’s dedication to rethinking what drones can do—and the way far they’ll go.
A Drone Impressed by the Bicycle Wheel
“For those who take a look at the Raise Pod, you’re in all probability considering it seems like a bicycle wheel. And also you’re proper,” mentioned Name. He defined that Modovolo drew on the wheel’s light-weight and rugged design. “The bicycle wheel design is an underappreciated technological marvel. It’s tremendous mild, sturdy, and rugged. That’s why we used it as our inspiration for the Raise Pod.”
By mimicking the bicycle wheel, Modovolo was in a position to scale back the Raise’s weight dramatically. Weighing solely 2.5 kilos empty and seven.6 kilos with batteries, the Raise Quad configuration is round 50% lighter than a DJI Matrice 300. However, as Name factors out, weight isn’t the one characteristic that makes the Raise distinctive.
Key options contributing to flight effectivity embody:
- Hub: “We’ve designed the hub so the propeller blades spin at an insanely low RPM, however the motor spins quick. That is very environment friendly.”
- Rim: The rim acts as a ducted fan, just like a jet engine, enhancing effectivity and forming the core connection level to different Raise Pods and Utility Pods.
- Propeller Blade: “Our proprietary propeller blade supplies probably the most thrust of any drone on the market—and it’s nonetheless extra environment friendly than something in the marketplace.”
- Spokes: “The spokes create superb structural rigidity, but they’re just about weightless.”
Based on Name, the result’s a drone that achieves as much as two hours of flight time on a single cost, a feat that’s uncommon within the business drone world.
Modular Configurations Constructed for Any Use Case
For Modovolo, the Raise’s modularity is simply as important as its effectivity. “There are actually limitless configurations,” Name shared. He described three major configurations—Quad, Hex, and Octo—that Modovolo initially chosen as a result of they align finest with present flight modes in Ardupilot. Name famous, nevertheless, that as Modovolo invests extra in software program growth, the Raise will grow to be much more configurable for particular missions.
The modular design hasn’t come with out its challenges. Early prototypes featured inflexible structural members, however these have been too heavy to permit a lot flight time. The turning level got here when Modovolo’s CTO, Arion, determined to attempt utilizing spokes, despite the fact that he and Name initially had doubts in regards to the concept. “Threading the spokes was a serious PIA and took hours,” Name admitted. Nevertheless, the choice proved pivotal, creating a light-weight construction that lastly aligned with the Raise’s design targets.
Reaching Affordability By way of Simplicity
With a value level of $6,000, the Modovolo Raise is considerably extra inexpensive than comparable fashions, such because the DJI Matrice 300. Name attributes this to the bicycle wheel-inspired construction: “It’s inflexible, sturdy, and lightweight with none costly unique supplies. It’s additionally a quite simple design, and that radically cuts down on manufacturing prices.”
By protecting prices low, Modovolo goals to make the Raise accessible to a broad vary of industries. Name defined, “We’ve got downside in that the modular and endlessly configurable design means it may be used throughout all industries and use circumstances. We haven’t discovered a single use case it wouldn’t work for.”
Potential Functions in Protection, Agriculture, and Development
Based on Name, the Raise’s design opens doorways for purposes throughout numerous fields. Initially, Modovolo is targeted on three core markets:
- Protection: With strategic partnerships in place with giant protection contractors, Modovolo sees purposes for digital warfare. “They’ve been searching for lengthy flight time however low-cost platforms as a result of that’s what the DoD desires now,” Name mentioned.
- Agriculture: The Raise’s configuration permits it to deal with a variety of duties. “In agriculture, we are able to do the whole lot from surveying to spraying, however proper now, we’re centered on area of interest purposes like pollen distribution,” Name shared.
- Business Use: Name highlighted that many of the Raise’s pre-orders are from the development business, the place the drone will assist photogrammetry and LiDAR purposes. “We’ll have a common mount Utility Pod so customers can add no matter payload they need,” Name mentioned, emphasizing the Raise’s flexibility for various payload wants.
Bringing the Modovolo Raise to Market
At present, Modovolo is searching for check pilots with expertise flying Ardupilot and bigger business drones to assist refine the Raise. “We want pilots who’re prepared to fly below our testing protocols and provides suggestions,” mentioned Name. The info from these check flights will information ultimate changes earlier than the primary business model hits the market.
Future Improvements
Trying ahead, Name shared thrilling plans for the Modovolo Raise. The workforce is engaged on a VTOL variant of the Raise Pod, which can retain the modular design whereas providing vertical takeoff and touchdown capabilities. Modovolo can be designing a brand new game-controller-inspired, NDAA-compliant handset that’s modular and inexpensive. “We’re all about modularity,” Name added, hinting that Utility Pods designed for particular use circumstances might be on the horizon.
Challenges and Classes Discovered
All through growth, the Modovolo workforce confronted obstacles that examined their endurance and creativity. “Tuning was a nightmare,” Name shared. The Raise’s distinctive design meant they couldn’t depend on commonplace tuning algorithms and needed to create their very own course of, which took months. In one other occasion, one in all their early prototypes melted in the summertime warmth as a result of it was made out of plastic that couldn’t deal with temperatures over 85 levels. “By the point we obtained to our ‘prime secret testing facility,’ it had melted!” Name recalled, laughing.
A Daring New Concept in Drone Design
The Modovolo Raise remains to be in growth, however with its modular, bicycle wheel-inspired design, it guarantees a brand new stage of adaptability and effectivity for business drones. As Name and his workforce proceed refining the Raise, they’re optimistic about its potential throughout industries, from protection to agriculture. Modovolo’s method to drone design might reshape expectations round flight time, price, and performance within the business drone sector.
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