The very inspiringly named PD6B-AW-ARM is large format 6-rotor drone equipped with two robotic arms capable of grasping, maneuvering and lifting payloads up to 10 kg or 22 pounds. It was announced at the InterDrone conference held in Las Vegas last week, and is designed for professional applications, featuring a weather sealed body, relatively high wind resistance and high altitude operation. It measures no less than 57 inches, or 1.4 meters, from rotor to rotor and can fly for up to 30 minutes on a single charge.
Each robotic arm has 5 degrees of freedom (DOF), suggesting that these could be used for carrying virtually any type of payload, and also for tasks requiring a bit of finesse. According to the manufacturer such examples include cutting cables, retrieving dangerous materials, flicking switches and more. Let’s take a look at this massive hexacopter in action.
Specifications
- Length motor to motor: 1450mm (57 inch);
- Airframe weight (PD6B-AW): 20kg (44 lbs.);
- Maximum payload when equipped with arms (PD6B-AW-ARM): 10 kg (22 lbs.);
- Aircraft height : 1300 mm (51 inch);
- Maximum ground speed: 60 km/h (37 mph);
- Maximum operating wind speed: 10 m/s (22 mph);
- Maximum operating altitude (pressure): 5,000m (16,404 feet);
- Flight time and battery: 30 minutes, 710Wh power pack (2x6S 22.2V/16Ah batteries);
- Weather sealed hull.
This aircraft has been created by Japanese manufacturer Prodrone, founded in 2015 by a team of experts, and specialized in developing industrial drone systems customized to their clients specifications.
Press release, via TechCrunch