Lift-generating frame quadcopter for extended-range flight
This patent describes a quadcopter drone with an unusual structural design: instead of a flat frame, the fuselage is shaped like an airfoil (like a wing) and the four rotor arms are mounted at two different heights — front arms higher, rear arms lower. This staggered arrangement, combined with a monocoque (single-shell) fuselage that doubles as a lifting surface, is meant to reduce aerodynamic drag, improve lift efficiency, and extend flight range compared to conventional flat-frame quadcopters. The design essentially turns the drone's body into a contributor to lift rather than dead weight.
What you could build
A longer-range commercial quadcopter platform — for delivery, inspection, or surveillance — sold to logistics operators, infrastructure inspection firms, or defense contractors who need extended loiter time or range without switching to fixed-wing aircraft.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and government contractors concentrated in Northern Virginia (Booz Allen, Leidos, SAIC) and UAS programs at DoD installations like Quantico would be plausible early customers or partners.
Readiness: Concept
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Kevin Kochersberger, Sarthak Deshmukh, Katie Marie Moncure
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed November 15, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20250153870A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.