Wingtra WingtraOne
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = WingtraOne |image = WingtraOne in use.jpg |caption = WingtraOne production model }}{{Infobox aircraft type |type = Utility drone |national origin = Switzerland |manufacturer = Wingtra |builder = |designer = |first flight = 2015 |primary user = |more users = |produced = 2017- |number built = |program cost = |unit cost = |developed from = |variants with their own articles = |developed into = }} |
The Wingtra WingtraOne is a tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle developed in Switzerland by Wingtra AG. Powered by two electric motors, it is designed primarily for use in precision agriculture and surveying roles, or for light payload delivery to rural areas.
Design and development
In 2013, development of WingtraOne began under the name "PacFlyer"{{cite web|url=http://www.pacflyer.ethz.ch/project.html|title=Project - PacFlyer|website=www.pacflyer.ethz.ch|date=24 May 2013 }} as a "Focus Project"{{cite web|url=http://www.asl.ethz.ch/research/focus-projects.html/|title=Focus Projects|website=www.asl.ethz.ch}} at the Autonomous Systems Lab at ETH Zurich, under the guidance of Roland Siegwart. The product was spun off to a division also named Wingtra.
The main focus of the design effort was on controllability, traditionally a challenge in the design of a tail-sitter aircraft, particularly due to attitude estimation.{{cite journal |last=Kubo |first=Daisuke |date=2006 |title=Study on design and transitional flight of tail-sitting VTOL UAV |journal=Proceedings of 25th Congress of ICAS }} The flight controller for WingtraOne was developed by 2016, which used a pitot tube, inertial navigation system consisting of multiple gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers, and GPS;{{cite book|first1=S.|title=2016 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)|last1=Verling|first2=B.|last2=Weibel|first3=M.|last3=Boosfeld|first4=K.|last4=Alexis|first5=M.|last5=Burri|first6=R.|last6=Siegwart|date=1 May 2016|pages=3006–3012|doi=10.1109/ICRA.2016.7487466|isbn=978-1-4673-8026-3|hdl=20.500.11850/118424|s2cid=206852045 }} the WingtraOne design was also modified for improved resistance to wind during that year,{{cite book|first1=Y.|title=2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)|last1=Demitrit|first2=S.|last2=Verling|first3=T.|last3=Stastny|first4=A.|last4=Melzer|first5=R.|last5=Siegwart|date=1 May 2017|pages=3945–3952|doi=10.1109/ICRA.2017.7989455|isbn=978-1-5090-4633-1|s2cid=31281946 }} and the control algorithm to ensure smooth transition from vertical flight to forward flight was developed.{{cite book|first1=S.|title=2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)|last1=Verling|first2=T.|last2=Stastny|first3=G.|last3=Bättig|first4=K.|last4=Alexis|first5=R.|last5=Siegwart|date=1 May 2017|pages=3939–3944|doi=10.1109/ICRA.2017.7989454|isbn=978-1-5090-4633-1|s2cid=36565728 }}
In March 2016, a prototype was shown at the CeBIT technology show in Hanover, Germany.
Following the completion of development and flight trials, the WingtraOne entered series production in 2017{{Cite web|url=https://www.startwerk.ch/2016/12/21/wingtra-mithilfe-von-drohnen-weniger-ertrags-ausfaelle/|title=Wingtra: Weniger Ertrags-Ausfälle mithilfe einer Drohne|website=www.startwerk.ch|date=21 December 2016 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.nzz.ch/nzzas/nzz-am-sonntag/jungfirma-wingtra-zuercher-drohnen-projekt-hebt-ab-ld.7316|title=Zürcher Drohnen-Projekt hebt ab - NZZ|first=Susanne|last=Ziegert|date=13 March 2016|via=NZZ|newspaper=Nzz Am Sonntag}} and said it was looking to expand into the United States.{{cite web|url=https://dronelife.com/2017/08/23/european-drone-firm-wingtra-looks-enter-us-market/|title=European VTOL Drone Firm Wingtra Looks to Enter US Market|website=Dronelife|date=2017-08-23}} In October 2017, Wingtra AG entered a partnership with Pix4D, a photogrammetry company, to offer postprocessing of images along with aerial data collection.{{cite web|url=https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/wingtra-pix4d-drone-operators/|title=Wingtra Partners with Pix4D to Deliver Actionable Insights for Drone Operators - Commercial UAV News|date=17 October 2017}}
The WingtraOne has a flying wing configuration; the drone has an endurance of 55 minutes, power being provided by an eight-cell lithium-ion battery to two electric motors.{{cite web|url=https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/wingtra-leverages-benefits-multirotor-fixed-wing-drones/|title=Wingtra Leverages the Benefits of Multirotor and Fixed-Wing Drones - Commercial UAV News|date=27 September 2017}} A tail-sitter, the aircraft takes off vertically while being supported by wing and tail fins, and once in flight, it tilts forward to fly horizontally.{{cite web|url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/cebit-2016-wingtra-wants-to-be-your-hybrid-drone |title=CeBIT 2016: Wingtra Wants To Be Your Hybrid Drone |website=IEEE |date=2016-03-15 |access-date=2017-12-13}}
Operational history
WingtraOne collects high resolution aerial data which is used to generate orthophotos, 3D reconstructions, point cloud and NDVI maps; the drone is capable of covering {{convert|390|ha|acre}} at an altitude of {{convert|240|m|ft}} at 3 cm/px GSD. It has been trialled in the aerial surveying, agriculture and glacier monitoring roles,{{cite web|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601935/six-ways-drones-are-revolutionizing-agriculture/|title=Six Ways Drones Are Revolutionizing Agriculture|first=Michal Mazur|last=PwC}}{{cite journal|title=From toys to tools: The co-evolution of technological and entrepreneurial developments in the drone industry|first1=Ferran|last1=Giones|first2=Alexander|last2=Brem|date=1 November 2017|journal=Business Horizons|volume=60|issue=6|pages=875–884|doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2017.08.001}}{{cite web|url=https://www.geoconnexion.com/articles/the-best-of-both-worlds/|title=The best of both worlds - GeoConnexion|website=www.geoconnexion.com}} as well as light payload delivery to rural areas.
The WingtraOne was awarded the Swiss Excellence Product Award in 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.swiss-excellence.ch/news/article/items/erfolgreicher-product-award-event-2016.html|title=Wingtra awarded the Swiss Product Excellence award awarded|website=swiss-excellence.ch}}
Specifications
Image:An Early WingtraOne prototype.jpg
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References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.wingtra.com/}}
Category:2010s Swiss civil utility aircraft
Category:Unmanned aerial vehicles of Switzerland
Category:Twin-motored electric aircraft