Look, up in the sky. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a coleopter? Never heard of it? That's because the word isn't even in the American Heritage Dictionary yet.
A celeopter, recently finished at the University of Kansas’ Aerospace Engineering program, is a new kind of flying machine that researchers at KU believe has loads of potential
when it comes to unmanned surveillance and attack.
The French were the first to build a coleopter, a name that is derived from the French word coléoptère, which means “beetle.” They are characterized by a ring like wing that surrounds the fuselage, and are meant to take off from the ground, hover, and land on their tails without a runway. They are vertically designed, using a propeller or fan for lift, and basically look like a cylinder with a halo around the middle or upper section of the body. They range in size from a few ounces to hundreds of pounds and can perform many different and specialized tasks. Some are built solely for hovering; there are tethered versions, and others can tip horizontally and fly through the air at high speeds.
Side view of Aerospace Engineering coleopter.Photo: Anthony Pellettiere
View of coleopter's landing gear and propeller from the back.Photo: Anthony Pellettiere
The University of Kansas’ Aerospace Engineering department is one of a few such departments nationwide currently working on coleopter design and development. It just completed its newest prototype, which resembles a large, and expensive toy.
Weighing in at six pounds, it stands a little over two feet tall, and can go about 160 mph. The department’s most recent coleopter is an unimposing figure, but one that Ron Barrett, associate professor in the Aerospace Engineering department, said out performed other small aircraft of its type, including Honeywell’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which is funded by the The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Army.
“It smoked everything else that was on the open market,” Barrett said. “It hovered longer, was far faster, much more maneuverable, and it was gust sensitive.”
The aircraft itself is a prototype for future coleopters that may be used by law enforcement and the military. David Borys, who is finishing his master’s degree on coleopters, said that as of right now the larger ones are mainly used for reconnaissance and could be fitted with small weapons. He said that the smaller, slower coleopters could be used for police surveillance. Professor Barret said that this is because they are not regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, and can’t fly as high, or as fast as larger versions. He said that with smaller coleopters there is less potential for danger.
Professor Barrett said the Aerospace Engineering department’s coleopter could be equipped with small cameras or weapons like tear gas. He said it was especially useful for identification purposes.
“With these kinds of aircraft you can fly next to a building and get a good I.D., you can say, ‘oh, well this is a daycare center. Either those al-Qaida members are all really young and still in diapers or maybe we should think twice about attacking this place,’” Barrett said.
The project has developed over the last four years. It started with more basic designs, which have morphed into a larger and more complex coleopter.
Andy Gladbach, a junior who worked on a tethered version of a coleopter, by his estimation put in at least 200 hours per semester. His freshman year he worked on a system that measured the different conditions a tethered machine might encounter. The tethered variant is a more simplistic design. It is smaller, attached to the ground with tethers, and cheaper to make. During his sophomore year he worked on a stabilizing system and was able to take the aircraft to a couple of engineering conferences where it was well received.
“I really liked going to the conferences,” Galdbach said. “My sophomore year we went to the Air force Academy, and that was just really cool in itself because not very many people get to go there.”
Andy Spalding, a junior who also worked on the early tethered aircraft, said he enjoyed taking an idea, building it, and turning it into a real thing. They presented their craft in a half hour presentation, which included an exhibit. He said that the experience allowed them to take what they learned and apply it to real situations.
“Since we had a lack of experience we didn’t know exactly what to do, but I think we really surprised a lot of people,” Spalding said.
The Aerospace department’s newest design has come a long way from the earlier versions. As a result, the school has received a patent, and according to Dr. Barrett, about $380,000 worth of money and grants from various contracts. Singapore Technologies Aerospace recently paid the department to further develop the craft.
The Aerospace Engineering department’s students and professors continue to work towards more funding and better design. In engineering the ultimate goal is to get a product fully transitioned to industry.
“That is the holy grail, that is what engineers come to work for,” Barrett said.