Airbus Wants Your Delivery Drone Designs

<p><strong>Drones today are inadequate. While the basics of simple unmanned flying machines are simple enough, if drones are going to revolutionize how people do anything, they&rsquo;ll need to do much more, within the basic confines of their design. So Local Motors, a Phoenix-based open-source manufacturing company, is partnering with Airbus Group to design a cargo drone for the future.</strong></p> <p>They&rsquo;re holding a contest, with submissions open until May 22nd. Voting on the entrees will begin on June 5th. Here are some of the requirements for the design:</p> <ul> <li>Vertical takeoff and landing</li> <li>At least one fixed wing, for flying like a plane</li> <li>Must use between 4 and 10 rotors/propellers for lift and thrust</li> <li>Weigh no more than 55 pounds when fully loaded</li> <li>Maximum wingspan of 16 feet</li> <li>Maximum length of 13 feet</li> <li>No single part can be longer than 6 feet 6 inches, so that the parts can be broken up for transport</li> <li>Must be able to carry an 11-pound cargo over 37 miles and a 6.5-pound cargo over 62 miles</li> <li>Must have a payload bay with exact dimensions that can be reached from the bottom of the aircraft</li> <li>Cruising speed must be at least 50 mph</li> <li>Maximum speed can&rsquo;t be greater than 120 mph</li> <li>Has to be powered by rechargeable batteries</li> <li>Must be able to fly in sustained winds of 22 mph.</li> </ul> <p>That&rsquo;s a lot of requirements, and there are more details at the&nbsp;<a href="https://localmotors.com/localmotors/airbus-cargo-drone-challenge/requirements/#agreement" target="_blank">contest page</a>.</p>