INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Federal Aviation Administration receives thousands of complaints every year about the characteristic loud buzzing produced as drone
propellers slice through the air
That noise is an issue in other countries, too: Canada and England, for instance, report a sharp uptick in similar complaints over the last
Experts believe noise pollution caused by these unmanned aerial vehicles will only worsen as they are increasingly used for package
Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, believes a device invented by Leonardo da Vinci more than 500 years ago may hold the key to quieter
mechanical engineering.The team members were aware that other research groups had explored loop-shaped propellers that were less noisy than
traditional propellers with their flat, thin blades and angled edges
whoosh and intersect with the flat, angled blades
single blade, might be quieter, as well.To find out, the researchers needed to create a model, which required selecting the most accurate
measurements and design features
the drone was hovering in place
Then they simulated the loop propeller in the same circumstances.Model in the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci,
MilanThe da Vinci propeller was, in fact, a bit noisier than the loop propeller at any given rotation speed, but the aerial screw also
The researchers also knew that the amount of lift needed to remain fixed for common drone assignments such as delivering packages, so they
propeller since not all parts of the spiral screw shape can be optimized to produce a similar amount of lift force
Despite this possible loss in efficiency, these propeller shapes can be useful for applications where noise reduction is more important than
