NUS Snowstorm

Snowstorm
National University of Singapore
Queenstown, Singapore
www.eng.nus.edu.sg

The Snowstorm is an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) multirotor created by a team of eight engineering students at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The Snowstorm is composed of a hexagonal is built of anodized aluminum frame, carbon fiber plates, Kevlar ropes, and landing gear ending in inflated balls as shock absorbers. Additionally, the team employed 3-D printing when a specific fit was needed. It has three 17.6 Kw lithium batteries and can make a controlled landing if only two produce power. There are 24 2.2 kW electric motors and 0.76 m propellers – 6 sets of diaxial tractor and pusher propellers and 12 independent tractor props. It can carry one passenger for up to five minutes.

The vehicle’s flight control offers a variety of automated flight modes including altitude hold, loiter and position modes. The Snowstorm also has a separate switch that can be controlled from the ground to land the vehicle should the pilot lose control.

The design team envisions the Snowstorm as a personal recreational device used in a large indoor venue.

The team started with a one-sixth size prototype, then moved to a full-scale flight test in December 2015. As they fine-tune the device and safety systems they hope to open its use to the general public and start production of units.

The vehicle was built over a one-year period, under the auspices of FrogWorks, a collaboration between NUS Faculty of Engineering's Design-Centric Programme (DCP) and the University Scholars Programme (USP).