Rotor develops autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft to make vertical flight radically safer and more accessible.
Rotor Technologies, Inc., a developer of autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, has completed the first uncrewed flight test campaign of a full-scale civilian helicopter.
The campaign was flown with two Rotor R220Y autonomous helicopters. The R220Y is an experimental platform based on the popular Robinson R22 two-seat helicopter, with seats, pilot controls, and instrument panel removed and all functions of the helicopter automated by Rotor’s technology.
Two R220Ys logged more than 20 hours of flight time and over 80 hours of engine run-time during the flight campaign. These flights successfully proved Rotor’s flight control systems, autonomous hover and velocity modes, and vision-based perception systems. The campaign also developed the aircraft’s long-distance flight capability through in-flight testing of long-range radio equipment and cellular LTE communication links – although all flights were conducted over a limited radius within direct line of sight of a ground control station.
“This is a major milestone toward fully-autonomous flight and testament to our ability to develop autonomy that will be safe and reliable enough for utility and passenger operations,” says Rotor Founder and CEO Dr. Hector Xu. “Our AI pilot system is already expert-level at tasks like precision flight control and navigation in poor visibility conditions, and we’re increasing its capabilities every day.”
Although no human pilot was onboard during test flights, the R220Y currently requires a pilot to remotely control the vehicle when the autonomy system is not engaged.
“We’re excited to see Robinson helicopters used by Rotor as a platform for innovation.” says Robinson Vice President of Operations David Smith regarding the successful R220Y flight tests. “We believe that our flight heritage and manufacturing capability will position Robinson to be a key player in the next generation of VTOL aviation.”
The Next Step
Rotor is commercializing its autonomy technology with the development of the R550X, an uncrewed utility helicopter based on the Robinson R44 Raven II. The R550X will feature a payload capacity of 1,212 lbs (550 kg) and more than three hours of endurance. The R550X is designed to perform hazardous operations such as firefighting, crop dusting, construction, humanitarian aid, and remote cargo delivery without putting pilot lives at risk.
“We’re bringing the highest-payload civilian uncrewed VTOL available in the world to the commercial market,” says Chief Commercial Officer Ben Frank. “We’re taking all the technology that we’ve developed on the R220Y and are putting it on a similar – and even more capable – platform. We’re working with a set of close partners to put the R550X into revenue operation in 2024. No other company is close to performing commercial operations with an autonomous helicopter of this size.”
Beyond the R550X, Rotor is progressing toward certifying the technology for passenger flight. Autonomous passenger helicopters have the potential to popularize fast and convenient regional transportation, which is only available to VIPs today. With the increased safety and efficiency brought by autonomy, the 200-mile journey between New York and Boston could be completed in about 90 minutes without the need to travel through congestion.
Autonomous Helicopter Testing Program Expands With FAA Approval for Three New Flight Areas
Rotor has received the go-ahead from the FAA to conduct flight tests of the R220Y uncrewed helicopter at three new flight locations. This new approval includes new and expanded locations near Rotor’s R&D headquarters in New Hampshire, as well as the Pendleton UAS Range (PUR) in Oregon and a site near Boise, Idaho. In total, Rotor now has approval to fly at 9 locations across the US.
The increase in approved flight areas will accelerate Rotor’s flight test program by granting access to a wider variety of terrain and weather, and enabling long-distance flying. Rotor will also leverage the new flight areas to perform customer demonstrations in mission-representative locations for aerial firefighting operators such as the US Forest Service.
Expanding the operating domain of large uncrewed systems is an important step towards commercialization and the integration of more autonomous and uncrewed aircraft into the National Airspace System.
Rotor thanks the FAA for their continued support. This is another step toward a future of VTOL flight that is radically safer, more accessible, and more capable than today.