ShadeTree Automation — DARPA Lift Project (Highly Classified… Sort Of)
Imagine if a quadcopter and a gyrocopter had a baby…
this is what would show up at the family reunion.
Now before anybody starts asking too many questions—no, I can’t tell you exactly how it works.
After all, we’re talking about a DARPA-backed challenge… and those guys are spooks of the highest order. As a former ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) technician in the USAF… I can tell you from experience:
If I explained it… well… I’d probably have to come back and explain it again 
Besides that we are talking about 1.5 million bucks for first prize… so I really cant tell you ever thang.
What’s actually happening
We’re already well on our way to building a half-scale version of the flying machine to test some of these one-of-a-kind ideas and see if they behave like we think they will.
This first version is designed to answer one simple question:
“Is this thing going to blow up on the dyno or I think we on to something good?”
Either way, we learn something.
How it’s coming together
You can’t really undertake a project like this without a little help from your friends—and I’ve got some good ones.
This is very much a local, boots-on-the-ground build, and some of the folks helping bring this thing to life include:
- Barry Wright Racing… he has some serious equipment… 3000 W fiber laser
- M & J Machine Shop… long time goto source that has a plasma, and a killer CNC lathe
- H & R Steel… who more often than not has just what you need
- Charlene @ Penn Prints… laser work and making things look better than I drew them
- Hoping to loop in SDS Automation as things move forward
Y’all are some of the first to see this—appreciate the help getting it off the ground.
Why I’m doing it
Because every now and then you’ve got to build something that makes people stop, look at it, and say:
“That don’t look like it ought to work…”
…and then watch it work anyway.
What’s next
Right now it’s all about:
- getting parts cut
- building a test stand
- bolting it all together
- and eventually… spinning it
Once it starts turning, things will get interesting in a hurry.
Follow along
I’ll be posting updates as this progresses.
Can’t promise it’ll be pretty.
Can’t promise it won’t make a little noise.
But it ought to be entertaining.
— ShadeTree Automation