Project PI : FOONG Shaohui
TasK PI : Soh Gim Song
Project Period : 22 March 2016 to 22 March 2020
Monocopters are a class of rotorcrafts known as free rotors where the entire airframe is continuously rotated to provide lift during flight. This mode of flight, which is employed in nature by the samara of maple trees to cover extended distances through unpowered stable autorotation, can be adapted for controlled powered flight with the same manoeuvrability and degrees of freedom as conventional helicopter. The goal here is to design and develop a compact monocopter that can be easily transported and deployed remotely to assist a range of civilian and defence applications. It is desired that this platform will incorporate transformative capabilities to allow it to seamlessly transit between fixed-wing (speed & range) and monocopter (manoeuvrability & hover) flight modes during mid-flight and feature intelligent ruggedization to support maritime-based operations.