Unmanned Systems Technology 021 | Robot Aviation FX450 l Imaging Sensors focus l UAVs Insight l Liquid-Piston X-Mini l Riptide l Eurosatory 2018 show report l Zipline l Electric Motors focus l ASTS show report

92 and weight is critical for such vehicles. Power is the product of torque and rpm. A 1 hp, 746 W motor, delivering high torque and low rpm, will be far heavier than a motor of equivalent power at high rpm and low torque. As well as aligning the torque speed with the propeller requirements, the torque constant (Kt) – the amount of torque for a given current input – is crucial. A motor with a high Kt will need less current to generate a torque, which will raise system efficiency. That in turn can be thought of as mechanical output power divided by electrical input power. And dividing motors’ Kt by the square root of different motors’ electrical resistances will give a comparison of their ability to withstand heat – the lower a motor’s resistance, the better. Torque density, which is the ratio of torque capability to the volume of a motor, is also vital for powertrain applications as it considers the relationship between the torque requirements and the size and weight requirements of the vehicle. With all this in mind, it often makes sense to place motor selection at the far end of unmanned vehicle design. Once August/September 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology CHINA T-Motor +86 791 88556889 8071 www.tmotor.com CZECH REPUBLIC Model Motors +420 608 919 909 www.modelmotors.cz GERMANY Maxon Motor +41 41 666 15 00 www.maxonmotor.com ISRAEL MTC Industries +1 631 274 4818 www.mtcind.com UK Avid Technology +44 (0)1670 707040 www.avidtp.com USA Aveox +1 805 915 0200 www.aveox.com CR Flight +1 916 747 1997 www.crflight.com Hacker Motor USA +1 913 214 6995 www.hackermotorusa.com Launchpoint Technologies +1 805 683 9659 www.launchpnt.com KDE Direct +1 360 904 4116 www.kdedirect.com Maxx Products International +1 847 438 2233 www.maxxprod.com Neumotors +1 858 674 2250 www.neumotors.com NWUAV +1 503 434 6845 www.nwuav.com Sullivan Products +1 410 732 3500 www.sullivanproducts.com Thin Gap +1 805 477 9741 www.thingap.com Top Flight Technologies +1 774 855 6811 www.tflighttech.com Xoar International +1 626 679 1158 www.xoarintl.com Some examples of electric motor suppliers Most advances in electric powertrains will continue to be in complementary technologies rather than the actual motors