Can Your Drone Carry 55 lbs? Drop Test with a Heavy Lift Multirotor

The team at Aero Systems West tested the performance of their Heavy Lift Multirotor (HLM) drone by picking up 55 lbs of barbell plates and releasing them at altitude. While the test was interesting to watch, it also highlights the potential for drones to play an increased role in how companies operate.

What can members do?

The team was impressed by how quickly the drone adapted to changes in mass. Drones are typically optimized for a specific mass and when payload changes, such as when an agricultural spraying drone disperses fertilizer, the drone's performance suffers. However, the HLM adapted to changes in mass with minimal impact on performance. By observing the sound of the props immediately after the payload is dropped, you can hear the drone adjust its thrust in milliseconds, ensuring stable flight.

The flight was completely autonomous. The 55 lbs of payload exceeded the weight of the aircraft and was dropped from 30 meters of altitude. The flight was conducted on an authorized test range. Please follow all local regulations when conducting any drone flight.

Commercial drones, such as the HLM, have a range of uses across industries, especially the delivery of packages and goods. The most high-profile example is consumer package delivery, a use case that Wing, Amazon Prime Air, and Drone Delivery Systems are bringing to market. Drone delivery has high potential in the industrial and utility industries, where they can provide on-demand delivery of parts and tools. Today, drone delivery is most used for medical shipments; Zipline has completed thousands of deliveries of blood and other medical necessities in Rwanda and Ghana.

If you have ideas for how drones can help your business, contact the Aero Systems West team at info@aerosystemswest.com.