After witnessing the potential dangers attached to helicopter flights, MIT PhD Hector (Haofeng) Xu founded Rotor Technologies, Inc. in 2021. The autonomous helicopter company aims to make helicopter flight safer by retrofitting existing helicopters with advanced sensors and software. This technology, in turn, removes the pilot from dangerous flights and widens the use of aviation.
Across the U.S., there are frequent fatalities from helicopter flights involving tasks such as crop dusting, fire fighting, and medical evacuations. Xu’s mission is to prevent these accidents through automation, starting with the most dangerous missions.
Rotor’s autonomous helicopters have higher speed and endurance than battery-powered drones and can carry heavier loads. By partnering with a proven helicopter model, Rotor has been able to quickly commercialize its product. The autonomous aircraft are already now being tested in flights around Rotor’s headquarters in New Hampshire, and they are set to be purchasable by customers later in 2021.
A key decision for Rotor was to collaborate with the Robinson Helicopter Company. The well-known manufacturer already requires its helicopters to be overhauled after roughly 2,000 hours of flight time, providing an opportunity for Rotor to retrofit the helicopters.
Central to Rotor’s solution is a “fly by wire” system—computers and motors that interface with the helicopter’s flight controls. The advanced communication tools and sensors. equipped on the helicopters were adapted from those used in the autonomous vehicle industry.
Rotor is preparing for a future in which pilots are obsolete, hence it’s building robust autonomous systems on board as well as communication systems between the aircraft and ground. The startup also offers 24/7 flight monitoring with a human supervision system called Cloudpilot.
The traditional application of helicopters, such as fighting fires and delivering cargo, is not only hazardous but also inefficient. The restrictions on pilot flight time and adverse weather conditions pose further challenges. Autonomous alternatives, however, are limited by lesser battery life and carrying capacity. Here, Rotor’s R550X stands out with its ability to transport loads up to 1,212 pounds, speeds of over 120 miles per hour, and extended air time.
Rotor seeks to sell a few aircrafts this year and scale up to an annual production of 50 to 100 aircrafts subsequently. In the long term, Xu sees the potential of his firm in transforming daily life by providing safer and more affordable vertical take-off and landing aircraft.