‘Silent’ Ion-Propulsion Drone Advances Towards Commercial Use For Deliveries

Florida-based startup Undefined Technologies’ latest release, the ‘Silent Ventus’, is a drone that uses ion propulsion to fly and navigate through the air.

Air particles are ionized by two interconnected boards within the flying device. These boards, meant to generate high-powered electric fields, can turn oxygen and nitrogen into electrons to produce positive charges. 

These positively charged ions are then cast downwards to create a wind tunnel that can thrust the Silent Ventus into the air. The company claims its “Air Thruster” system can push its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 150% higher into the air than other systems. 

In 2020, the company first released a teaser video of an early prototype showing a few seconds of shaky flight. At that time, the Silent Ventus produced a noise level of 90dB, although not quite as ‘silent’ as the name purports, since 90 dB is the volume of a hairdryer. 

Now, it has just released a significantly-upgraded demo of its latest iteration to “prove its commercial viability”, claiming a new flight time of four and a half minutes with a sound level of 70 dB, which CDC likens to that of a dishwasher.

Unfortunately, as the video was edited down to a minute and 17 seconds, one is unable to witness its actual capabilities in full display. 

Also, for context, New Atlas pointed out that Alphabet’s UAV subsidiary Wing’s 69 dB autonomous vehicle came under fire in 2019 for exceeding the noise limit in suburban neighborhoods. 

As UAVs become increasingly commonplace, the noise levels generated could be influencing factors to successful adoption in different sectors.

Eventually, Undefined hopes to achieve a flight time of 15 minutes at less than 70 dB to aid drone deliveries in making stealthy drop-offs to customers. Still, it is unclear if reaching that 15-minute mark will include reworks to the batteries and if it will even be able to carry a proper payload for deliveries. 

Until the hovering concerns settle to surface a more defined perspective, here’s a preview of what might be floating above your roof someday. 

[via New Atlas and TechTimes, images via Undefined Technologies]