Krossblade Aerospace Systems is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund their Krossblade SkyProwler drone. The team wanted to find the perfect combination between a vertical takeoff quadcopter design and more traditional winged flight. SkyProwler is billed as a transformer drone, allowing for vertical takeoff and landing and then changing to high speed wings for cruising speeds.
While in flight the multi rotor system that allows for the vertical takeoff folds into the craft’s body. This ‘Blade’ configuration gives much better aerodynamic properties and a higher speed that can be achieved, up to a top speed of 83 miles per hour. A third configuration that the company calls ‘Hornet’ is a multi-copter without the wings gives added maneuverability to the standard quadcopter design.
SkyProwler has a few design features that separate it from other large form drone products. The body is built from composites, carbon fiber and 7075-T6 aircraft aluminum. The standard ground station radio that can be purchased with the drone allows four channels per stick. A large cargo pocket inside the craft’s body holds up to 500 grams and has around the packaging space of a soda can.
The 4K Eye Cam really sets the SkyProwler aside from other video drones. The video has a three axis gimbal stabilization and shoots 1080 HD video at 30 frames per second. Video can be sent down to the user while being recorded on the drone’s internal SD card. The Kickstarter campaign page really sells the modular aspects of the plane, and the ability for users to 3d print different accessories for the front section that can keep up with changing video or sensor options.
Krossblade is a huge company and has built a great polished campaign for their project. The ambitious $200,000 funding goal has already found $113,000 of its goal with thirty five more days left in the campaign. Final assembly of the drones is set to begin in November with first shipments going out in December 2015.