Drones

HerMes Multicopter is supplied with renewable supplies

HerMes multicopter project made from renewable materials: ultra-light and recyclable.

The UAS manufacturer Leichtwerk Research GmbH, the eco-material researcher Fraunhofer WKI and the adhesive specialist Jowat SE have teamed up to jointly develop an innovative new multicopter called Project HerMes. The model is characterized by ultra-light constructions made from renewable lightweight materials such as wood and natural fiber-reinforced plastics.

The majority of multicopters typically consist of relatively simple configurations made of semi-finished products and conventional or fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). Fiber reinforced plastics suffer from structural efficiency deficiencies and all of the major environmental problems associated with plastics. The manufacturing process is also energy-intensive and uses fossil raw materials such as polymers made from propene as well as critical raw materials such as catalysts made from bismuth or platinum. When FRP components are no longer usable, they pose another problem in their poor recyclability. Due to the rapid global economic development of the last decades and the associated problems of environmental degradation, resource exploitation and climate change, it is becoming more and more important to create more sustainable products and economic models.

Construction of a multicopter from renewable materials

“Conventional FRP are practically overqualified for all those applications in which their high specific strengths and stiffnesses clearly exceed the moderate load requirements, for example for smaller UAS,” says Dr. Martin Pietrek from Leichtwerk Research in Braunschweig. “In the HerMes project, we are developing a completely new approach to design and manufacture multicopter aircraft that are not only lighter than conventional GRP frames, but also enable reduced energy and resource consumption as well as good recyclability and cost efficiency.”

The HerMes multicopter was developed from the outset with a focus on later technical qualification in order to enable demanding and safety-critical applications such as flight operations in SORA SAIL III / IV. Such an approach leads to a highly complex development process. In addition to the aeronautical development of aircraft, the process also includes the development of advanced structural materials, new adhesive systems and surface protection agents based on renewable raw materials.

Read more about alternative aircraft: the Dronut, a plywood drone developed by the Navy, disposable paper drones and a “vampire drone” drone that is supposed to disappear.

Ian attended the Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he now contributes to DroneLife.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional marketplace for drone services, and a passionate observer of the emerging drone industry and regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has written over 3,000 articles on the commercial drone field and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam graduated from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years experience in high-tech sales and marketing for emerging technologies.
For advice or writing on the drone industry, email Miriam.

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