The solution to the drone problem was in an invention of 500 years

Although for a while to this part The drones It seems that they are associated To the war machinery of the different Conflicts on the planetthe truth is that its utility has always been ambicious much further of the contests. These devices could be the solution to many of the problems of the big cities, but they have several “buts”, and one in particular.

It turns out that the solution has been able to be in a notebook for centuries.

Leonardo and a “modern” dilemma. The genius Leonardo da Vincialthough limited by the technology of his time, he seems to have once again found validity five centuries later. Their notebooks, full of visionary schemes, included the Famous “Air Screw”a helical design conceived as a flying machine that, although it was never built or viable with the media of the Renaissance, already represented an early idea of propeller generating support.

Now, a study from Johns Hopkins University, Available in Arxiv And still pending pairs, it points to this mechanism could solve one of the most serious problems of current drones: excessive noise.

A contemporary problem. The drones, no doubt, have become a omnipresent tool: They serve For bailouts in The Himalayasfor Environmental experiments in Pacific Islands, to Military Missionsartistic or even recreational. However, society is beginning to perceive them as a growing source of noise pollution.

A 2021 report I already noticed that the noise of the drones not only equals, but it is More annoying than traffic or conventional aviation. The reason is not only the sound intensity, but the quality of the frequencies that generate: acute, sinusoidal and persistent tones, which bounce on the ground and amplify its irritating effect. Parallel investigations They have explored metamorphic materials capable of absorbing until 94% of the noisebut the great challenge is still to rethink the propeller itself.

Renaissance inspiration. This is where the researchers led By Suryansh Prakhar They look at Leonardo. That Air screwpossibly inspired by the beginning of Archimedes’ screwwas three -dimensional modeling by CAD and subjected to numerical simulations to evaluate their performance against conventional two -blade rotors.

Although in its Original Conception It had to be driven by men running around an axis (which made it unfeasible in its time), its helical geometry was surprisingly promising. The modernized model, based on the design ELICO from the University of Maryland in 2020, he showed that the air screw was not only able to generate support, but did With acoustic advantages and energy efficiency.

Science verdict. The results They indicated that, for the same lifting load, the air screw requires Less mechanical power and produce Less noise than a conventional propeller. Its largest contact with air allows you to turn more slowly, thus reducing turbulence and emitting smaller, less irritating and rapid dissipation sounds.

In practical terms, the Leonardo design It would not exceed modern propellers in absolute thrust capacity or performance optimization, but it does offer a concrete way to solve the problem of noise in densely populated urban environments, where the social acceptance of drones is still limited.

LESSONS OF THE PAST. He study It does not propose to immediately replace current rotors, but to point out that unconventional geometries, inspired by ideas such as Da Vinci, can open roads to drones most silent and sustainable. The paradox is eloquent: centuries of aerospace research had not seriously considered this helical form, and now science recognizes that a fifteenth century sketch It contains useful clues for 21st century engineering.

In Prakhar’s wordsthe objective is to continue exploring traditional, experimental and biomimetic configurations to perfect aerodynamics and aeracoustics of drones. Ultimately, rather than demonstrating that Leonardo “invented modern drone”, the investigation Validate your talent to think radically differently, remembering on the path that technological progress does not always advance in a straight line and that sometimes the future needs the past to find answers.

Image | David Rodriguez, Luc Viatour

In Xataka | A drawing by Leonardo da Vinci hid a hidden map. The work has revealed the secret tunnels of a castle of the 20th century

In Xataka | Da Vinci’s last secret was not in his paintings or notes, but in his family: a direct link with Barcelona