I've actually had this idea for quite some time and have always dreamed to make it a reality but have never set forth the time and effort to make it happen. The Copterang (Helicopter - Boomerang) would be an awesome toy. Basically it's shaped like a 3 wing boomerang with inverted motorized fan blades at each tip of the wings. By using 1 or 2 accelerometers the Copterang would adjust motor speed to stay perfectly afloat in mid-air. When the user grabs it and throws it across the park, the Copterang could pause at a distance and then return to it's original position by way of the accelerometer's coordinates. It needs to be lightweight enough for a lithium-ion battery to power it for several minutes of play time. The user would be protected by aluminum mesh around the fan blades so they don't lose any fingers. I know this is possible and I actually have enough knowledge of micro-controllers and electronics to make it work but I just have too many ideas to spend time on this one. Please take this idea so I don't have to think about it anymore. ;-) Oh, if you make it, let me know, I'd love to see it in action. Also, if you have any questions or need more details, send me an email, I'd be happy to help.
I agree
No opinion
I disagree
Add your comment
This might work, but it seems like an awfully complicated way to make a motorized boomerang. Bear in mind that a conventional boomerang flies like a helicopter. A helicopter will naturally fly in a circle and return to you if it is canted in the roll axis slightly to either the left or the right. An airplane will do the same thing. I used to intentionally make paper airplane will a slight roll so that they would fly in a circle. I would fly them around my livingroom and try to catch them.
whats wrong with a plain boomerang?
I think this would make a great toy. You could throw it in any direction as hard as you can and it would return to the thrower. You could throw it up or down into a canyon. You could throw it to a friend and they could through it back. As a toy it would be fun and Sharper Imagine could sell them for $200 a pop. haha Consider other applications. With a built-in camera it could be used to survey a location. While hiking it could be use it to see where you want to go. Throw it up over the trees and see where the nearest river is. It could be programmable, you could set it to fly up and to gps coordinates to see what's going on. It could be an accessory to a car. A docking station could be built-in to the roof and it could fly 2 miles ahead to check traffic and find faster routes. In military applications it could be used for general reconnaissance. I know the military already us unmanned flying apparatuses but nothing highly maneuverable like this could be.
Okay MrCoder, I've been mulling this over for a good half hour now. It appears to me that you are saying that the device would have a three bladed main rotor with three additional rotors, one at the end of each of the main rotor blades. The three additional rotors are motorized. Now, it isn't clear if, when thrown, the main rotor is suppose to spin. When a conventional boomerang is thrown, it his held by the end of one blade and flung so that it spins rapidly. It would seem to me that your device would have to be thrown the same way and would inevitably spin. This would mean that the motorized rotors will be rotating and revolving at the same time, while also moving horizontally though the air. The aerodynamic forces on the rotors would be very complex and constantly changing. This would make steering extremely difficult.
I think it would be much more practical to have it use a single rotor, like a regular helicopter. Of course, helos usually have two rotors to prevent the fuselage from spinning, but that isn't really necessary if the craft is constantly moving forward (not hovering). It can simply use a large tail fin at the end of a long boom to stop the fuselage from spinning. The tail can also have a horizontal stabilizer angled to lift the tail up. This would keep the rotor angled forward to provide forward thrust. The tail surfaces could also be movable to provide the steering. The device could still be launched boomerage style. You would hold the end of one blade and fling it into the air. Once airbourne, the motor would keep it going.
I think the last time I ever threw a boomerang was the time I hit my wife in the back of the head with it.
Unpredictable free-flying machines, especially powered ones, seem to be a big risk to me.
If you want an RC helicopter, buy an RC helicopter.
BTW, you could probably do this idea more easily if the wing-tip thrust was provided by CO2 jets from an on-board CO2 cylinder, rather than motor or engine driven propellers. I expect the tip speeds can be very high--not typical propeller speeds. Also, like Dwane, I don't see how you could control a 'boomerang' at all--you'll need to vary the pitch of the blades as they circle, and probably vary the thrust of the engines around the circle too, unless you can come up with some control surfaces somehow. Sounds more and more like a helicopter.But I'm still unsure of undirected flying machines.