How many of you have heard about Google’s Project Wing? Yes, it is the same project which is developing a drone that is capable of Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL). This drone shall be able to deliver parcels while also being able to transform into a fixed wing state for flight. As can be expected, this transformation shall allow it to cruise much faster when compared with a conventional drone. So far, there has been no market-available version of such drone, however, this may change as X PlusOne debuts in the market soon.
X PlusOne can take off and land vertically while being in hover mode and is also capable of capturing video from the incorporated camera (user can have a GoPro that is gimbal stabilized added as well). The transformation to convert it into the cruise mode is too easy – it has to be turned to its side. Once in cruise mode, the drone can manage flying at speeds of 100 km/hr.
Control algorithms are used during both modes to keep the drone stable, however, if things get hard and the user fears losing control of the drone; all that needs to be done is flipping the auto recovery mode switch where the drone will enter the hover mode and shall maintain an automatic level. As of now, the only downside is the fact that it can only fly for a total of 10-15 minutes on a single charge.
The X PlusOne is currently raising funds on Kickstarter and for a pledge of $479 you can get one unit when they are ready to go. Got any suggestions on how to improve the battery time? Let us know in the comments section!