Boyhood dream takes flight in mini-copter development
July 28, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AERONAUTICS engineer Wu Junqi dreamed of flying as a boy, but unlike so many young lads obsessed with castles in the sky, he managed to turn his flights of fancy into airborne reality.
The Jiao Tong University researcher has developed an unmanned mini-helicopter that he thinks has exciting possibilities for all sorts of modern-day applications, including emergency services, police work and geological surveying.
Wu, 28, grew up near an airfield in Zhabei District. Every day from his window, he watched planes landing and taking off.
"I think it was the influence of that environment that made me yearn for the sky," said Wu.
He spent seven years at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, majoring in flight propulsion engineering. While there, in 2004, he first got the idea of creating miniature unmanned helicopters.
"I had no lofty ideals when I first started working on the project," he explained. "It was just that developing big manned aircraft requires more money, and we would never get permission from authorities to test-fly the prototypes. Safety was another big factor."
For two years he worked on his concept, finally getting it to the flight stage. He called his invention Yujingling, which means "imperial fairy."
In 2007, Yujingling was invited to participate in an aerospace exhibition in Shanghai. At the event, his mini-copter received a lot of attention for its small size, light weight and fast speed.
"We didn't brag about Yujingling, but Guo Zehong, chief engineer of the eighth generation of Chinese helicopters, said he thought it was the first miniature unmanned helicopter in the country," Wu said.
Wu has since brought his Yujingling project to the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he works in a laboratory designated the JC Wu Center for Aerodynamics.
He and his team have made six protoypes of the Yujingling craft and are now working on adapting them to practical applications. They have talked with the Minhang District fire brigade and Shanghai TV media about how mini-copters could assist their work. At a recent fire in Minhang, Yujingling managed to shoot several high-definition photos of the fire by hovering overhead via remote control. The mini-copter's role was aired on television news broadcasts.
"The fire had actually been extinguished by the time the media reached the scene," said Wu. "So we gave them photos for their story and told them about Yujingling."
Wu said the practical applications of mini-copters are endless. They can be used in tracking terrorist activity and in surveying damage requiring disaster relief. They can be used in geological exploration and in police operations.
Now it's just a matter of those in authority recognizing the potential.
Wu said he presented his ideas to the police but they didn't seem very interested.
"They said they would rather spend the money on fancier police cars," said Wu. "They didn't recognize what new technology could do for their daily work." The Yujingling prototype costs more than 100,000 yuan (US$15,692). Wu said he believes the price will lower once the craft goes into mass production.
"My students and I will be capable of turning out 400 to 500 helicopters a year," he said.
About 30 college students and 10 postgraduate students are now working with him in the lab. "The students are devoted and enthusiastic," Wu said. "Working with them is a marvelous experience."
Making aircraft models is a hard work. Wu and the students often labor late into the night, forgetting what hour it is.
Extra effort was certainly needed last year, when he and his tem entered a national aircraft contest during the summer holidays.
"For several straight weeks, we got up at 6:30am and worked until midnight," Wu said. "Many of the students were from outside Shanghai and hadn't seen their parents for half a year. But to prepare for the contest, they had only two weeks to spend at home. They said it was even more exhausting than preparing for their college entrance exams."
Wu admitted that his whole life is devoted to aircraft. His wife, who is a graphic designer, sometimes feels his obsession is overwhelming, he said.
"I know I don't spend enough time with her," he admitted. "Whenever I do have a break, I try to take her on a trip to make her happy."
Wu wants to pack as much into his life as possible while he is young enough to take the strain.
"I don't know whether my body will develop problems when I get older, but I believe as long as I keep up a good mentality and outlook, my health won't suffer," he said.
The Jiao Tong University researcher has developed an unmanned mini-helicopter that he thinks has exciting possibilities for all sorts of modern-day applications, including emergency services, police work and geological surveying.
Wu, 28, grew up near an airfield in Zhabei District. Every day from his window, he watched planes landing and taking off.
"I think it was the influence of that environment that made me yearn for the sky," said Wu.
He spent seven years at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, majoring in flight propulsion engineering. While there, in 2004, he first got the idea of creating miniature unmanned helicopters.
"I had no lofty ideals when I first started working on the project," he explained. "It was just that developing big manned aircraft requires more money, and we would never get permission from authorities to test-fly the prototypes. Safety was another big factor."
For two years he worked on his concept, finally getting it to the flight stage. He called his invention Yujingling, which means "imperial fairy."
In 2007, Yujingling was invited to participate in an aerospace exhibition in Shanghai. At the event, his mini-copter received a lot of attention for its small size, light weight and fast speed.
"We didn't brag about Yujingling, but Guo Zehong, chief engineer of the eighth generation of Chinese helicopters, said he thought it was the first miniature unmanned helicopter in the country," Wu said.
Wu has since brought his Yujingling project to the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he works in a laboratory designated the JC Wu Center for Aerodynamics.
He and his team have made six protoypes of the Yujingling craft and are now working on adapting them to practical applications. They have talked with the Minhang District fire brigade and Shanghai TV media about how mini-copters could assist their work. At a recent fire in Minhang, Yujingling managed to shoot several high-definition photos of the fire by hovering overhead via remote control. The mini-copter's role was aired on television news broadcasts.
"The fire had actually been extinguished by the time the media reached the scene," said Wu. "So we gave them photos for their story and told them about Yujingling."
Wu said the practical applications of mini-copters are endless. They can be used in tracking terrorist activity and in surveying damage requiring disaster relief. They can be used in geological exploration and in police operations.
Now it's just a matter of those in authority recognizing the potential.
Wu said he presented his ideas to the police but they didn't seem very interested.
"They said they would rather spend the money on fancier police cars," said Wu. "They didn't recognize what new technology could do for their daily work." The Yujingling prototype costs more than 100,000 yuan (US$15,692). Wu said he believes the price will lower once the craft goes into mass production.
"My students and I will be capable of turning out 400 to 500 helicopters a year," he said.
About 30 college students and 10 postgraduate students are now working with him in the lab. "The students are devoted and enthusiastic," Wu said. "Working with them is a marvelous experience."
Making aircraft models is a hard work. Wu and the students often labor late into the night, forgetting what hour it is.
Extra effort was certainly needed last year, when he and his tem entered a national aircraft contest during the summer holidays.
"For several straight weeks, we got up at 6:30am and worked until midnight," Wu said. "Many of the students were from outside Shanghai and hadn't seen their parents for half a year. But to prepare for the contest, they had only two weeks to spend at home. They said it was even more exhausting than preparing for their college entrance exams."
Wu admitted that his whole life is devoted to aircraft. His wife, who is a graphic designer, sometimes feels his obsession is overwhelming, he said.
"I know I don't spend enough time with her," he admitted. "Whenever I do have a break, I try to take her on a trip to make her happy."
Wu wants to pack as much into his life as possible while he is young enough to take the strain.
"I don't know whether my body will develop problems when I get older, but I believe as long as I keep up a good mentality and outlook, my health won't suffer," he said.
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