Video: Test Rig Shows What Happens when Drone Hits Flesh at 33mph
How much damage can a tiny drone propeller really do when it comes up agains something as solid as a person? That’s the question Aalborg University in Denmark is answering with a rig that can ram a spinning drone propeller into a piece of flesh at 33mph… and record the results in slow motion.
The video is an accurate (if slightly gruesome) demonstration of what could happen if you lose control of your drone and it hits a person, propeller spinning. And if you’re like us, it’ll have you extra careful the next time you pilot that DJI of yours.
In the video above, the 10-foot long rig fires a spinning drone propeller at a piece of raw pork roast, capturing the resulting collision at up to 3,000 frames per second so they can analyze how the propeller behaves when it hits flesh, and the extent of the damage it can do.
The results will hopefully help engineers develop future propellers that break apart more easily and do less damage if they do somehow make contact with an unsuspecting human.
(via Aalborg University via Gizmodo)
