We were concerned when we saw [Brick Experiment Channel] test a drone propulsion pod made with Lego. After all, the thrust generated was less than the weight of the assembly. But a few tweaks got enough lift to overcome the assembly weight, as you can see in the video below.
The next step was to build three more pods and add some lightweight avionics and a battery. The first flight was a little dicey because the sensor orientation was off. Then there was some more software tuning before things really got airborne.
Judging from the nearby curtains, the drone puts out quite a bit of wind. However, it still needed a little more power from a bigger battery pack. It doesn’t look like the bird is a joy to fly, but it is impressive to see a bunch of Lego flying around the house. Granted the flight controller, the radio, and the battery aren’t Lego, but it looks like everything else is.
We aren’t sure we would recommend trying this project, but if you do, there is a bill of materials at the end of the video. The total cost was about $500 and you can get a pretty good commercial drone for that price. Still, the thrill of it would be worth something.
We’ve seen someone selling a kit to make Lego drones. If you’d rather stay on the ground, how about a monowheel?
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