There are few things in 2015 that have remained as regularly popular, immensely controversial, and just downright fascinating as drones. They’ve made headlines for delivering drugs into prison yards, interrupting the efforts of firefighters, and have even proven to be one of the few things that scare the scat out of black bears. Well as of this past week, a man living in the UK just boldly went where no drone operator had gone before, creating a 54-propeller super drone not only capable of sustaining ordinary flight, but sustaining flight with him on board. No joke!
In a video posted to YouTube, the man is seen taking off and landing his DIY contraption — called “The Swarm” — over and over again, displaying the drone’s apparent ease of control. Though he never seems to fly much higher than about ten or fifteen feet into the air, the fact that he created a rideable drone is incredibly impressive.
The man’s video explains the drone as containing “54 counter-rotation propellors [and] six grouped control channels with Hobbyking stabilization.” It also says the craft’s maximum takeoff weight checks in at around 148 kg (326 lbs) while also possessing the ability to sustain flight for roughly ten straight minutes.
We know exactly what you’re thinking. How can I get my hand on the schematics so I can build one myself? Sadly, the only bit of information regarding this incredible drone exists via two YouTube videos of the operator demonstrating its ability to hold him in flight, as well as the ability to fly autonomously (which obviously doesn’t look nearly as fun).
Though judging by what’s shown in the video, it appears that all you need to create one of these bad boys is a bit of engineering know-how, a few flight stabilizers, an ordinary lawn chair, and an incredible imagination. Oh, and perhaps some prior drone flying experience, because the last thing you want to do is end up like Enrique Iglesias.
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