Drones made of bamboo are being developed in China

Engineers from the School of Civil Aviation at Northwest China Normal University are working on an eco-friendly bamboo-framed drone. Bamboo is a lightweight and extremely durable material, making it an attractive candidate for UAV construction.

However, the tests revealed a significant problem: unlike products made of composite materials, bamboo structures generate low-frequency vibrations in the range of 8 to 20 Hz under load. This interferes with flight control systems and makes it difficult for the drone to operate stably.

To solve this problem, the researchers developed a specialized control board based on an industrial chip with an integrated system of two inertial measurement units. At the same time, the control algorithms were revised to take into account the specifics of the bamboo structure.

The key element of the solution was the tuning of the extended Kalman filter, an algorithm from the field of statistics and control theory. This helped to reduce the level of vibrations and reduce the response delay to control commands from 15−20 ms to 8−10 ms. As a result, the drone demonstrates smoother and more stable flight even in the presence of structural vibrations.

The development is aimed at creating a more environmentally friendly and affordable drone that can be used in regions with developed bamboo production.