One of the main characteristics of modern electric multicopters is the autonomous flight time on a single battery charge. On average, such devices can fly no more than 30 minutes. However, for hybrid units, a petrol and electric drive system is used. One of these quadrocopters, created by the company Quaternium from Spain, recently broke the record and spent 10 hours 14 minutes in the air.
In the basic configuration, the HYBRiX 2.1 weighs 13 kg, lifts up to 10 kg of payload, accelerates to 80 km / h and stays in the air for up to 2 hours with such a load, which is more than the “electric trains” show. And most importantly, a drone with a hybrid installation can continue to work immediately after refueling.
The first model developed by Quaternium under the HYBRiX 2.0 brand flew in a hybrid engine for four hours and forty minutes in December 2017. This time became a new world record for autonomous quadcopters. To further improve the model, the company will release the HYBRiX 2.1 model, which in February 2020 set the next world record for autonomous flight time, which was already 8 hours 10 minutes.
Further improvement of the parameters of the HYBRiX 2.0 was carried out by changing the parameters of the drone’s fuel system. The developers have increased the volume of the fuel tank to 16 liters and installed a fuel injection system for the two-stroke quadcopter engine. The injection system is made by the Spanish company Löweheiser, is quite compact and affects the total weight of the device.
The quadrocopter can be used in many areas, for example Benidorm’s Police is using the HYBRiX to solve problems more efficiently, such as search and rescue missions or control of illegal dumping, and to improve the protection of Benidorm citizens.
“As a Police tool, this device has the advantage of endurance, enabling us to start and finish the job without needing to return to the takeoff point to change the batteries in order to extend the flight time,” Benidorm Local Police Agent Francisco Albero Clemente said. “This aircraft allows us to perform operations similar to those of a helicopter, at a reduced cost.”
Furthermore, today the world is suffering from recurrent catastrophes caused by climate change. From floods to forest fires, generating huge damages to critical infrastructures, communications systems access and basic services. For over 10 years, quadcopters have proven their value in evaluating the aftermath of earthquakes such as the case of the Sichuan earthquake or Hurricane Florence’s landfall. In both disasters, multirotors were used to search the land and identify as many people as possible. Although they were useful, they all had the same limitation, flight endurance. Being only able to cover small areas.
During these situations, every second counts. This is what motivated Quaternium to develop a drone that could have a much longer endurance. With HYBRiX, rescuers and firefighters will be able to identify hot spots and access property damage while searching for survivors. Thanks to the unique features of HYBRiX, these situations can be managed safely while achieving faster results.
Resources:
https://24gadget.ru/1161071304-gibridnyj-kvadrokopter-hybrix-21-postavil-rekord-avtonomnosti-
http://robotrends.ru/pub/2045/hybrix-2.1-gibridnyy-rekordsmen-ot-quaternium
https://www.techcult.ru/technics/8943-dron-hybrix-ustanovil-mirovoj-rekord