Hokkaido University Research Profiles

Japanese
Information and Communication

Vertical Takeoff and Landing Type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

An unmanned aircraft that can fly at high speed like an airplane and hover in midair like a helicopter

We have developed a vertical takeoff and landing type unmanned aerial vehicle that can hover like a helicopter while flying at high speed by obtaining lift with its wings like an airplane. It is expected to be used, for example, to quickly fly to a stricken area in the event of a disaster and to photograph the area while hovering in the sky.

Content of research

There are expectations of the industrial application of unmanned aerial vehicles, as DHL and Amazon are performing tests on delivery by unmanned aircraft. These unmanned aircraft are helicopter-type vehicles called multicopters. Since they have fixed wings and fly like airplanes, they move efficiently and at a high speed, and can fly farther than ordinary multicopters with the same battery.

  • Tail-sitter type unmanned aerial vehicle

  • Flight test

  • Quad-rotor tail-sitter type unmanned aerial vehicle

  • Flight test

Potential for social implementation

  • ・Disaster situation survey
  • ・Transport and Delivery
  • ・Inspection of bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure
  • ・Pesticide application

Appealing points to industry and local governments

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are expected to find applications in many fields, including next-generation logistics, infrastructure inspection, pesticide application, and disaster investigation and recovery support. Vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aerial vehicles are ideally suited to combine the advantages of fixed-wing (airplane-type) aircraft, which can fly at high speed and efficiently, and rotary-wing (helicopter-type) aircraft, which can stop in midair.

2022/5/27Released