Manchester researchers design and fly world’s largest quadcopter drone

The drone, dubbed the Giant Foamboard Quadcopter (GFQ), measures 6.4m corner to corner and weighs 24.5kg, which is 0.5kg less than the weight limit set by the Civil Aviation Authority. The four arms are formed of a series of hollow box structures and can be easily removed for transportation.

The quadcopter was built from sheets of 5mm thick foamboard, which has a foam core and paper skin. The sheets were laser cut to size and assembled into the 3D structure by hand using hot melt glue.

Researchers aimed to utilise a low-cost and more environmentally friendly material suitable for lightweight aerospace structures. Unlike carbon fibre, low-density sheet materials can be highly recyclable, or even compostable.

In a statement, Dan Koning, a research engineer at Manchester University, who led the design and build of the vehicle, said: “Foamboard is an interesting material to work with, used in the right way we can create complex aerospace structures where every component is designed to be only as strong as it needs to be - there is no room for over-engineering here.”