The Dragonfly is a failed

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance. In 2015, over was rais ...

project that was to build a miniaturized four-winged

ornithopter An ornithopter (from Greek ''ornis, ornith-'' "bird" and ''pteron'' "wing") is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers sought to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, th ...

UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

aerial photography Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircr ...

, interactive

gaming Gaming may refer to: Games and sports The act of playing games, as in: * Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming" * Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles * Playing ...

, autonomous

patrolling Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armored units, naval units, and co ...

for security and surveillance, etc. The project claimed that the UAV was going to manufactured by TechJect, but all development was canceled after crowdfunding IndieGoGo refused to release money.

Design

The unit was envisioned as a miniaturized four-winged ornithopter which uses a flight model based on that of a

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

. It was the first palm sized miniaturized ornithopter to be prototyped to exhibit powerful actuation at small sizes, though other larger versions have been developed. (e.g., the

DelFly The DelFlyBradshaw, Nancy L., and David Lentink. "Aerodynamic and structural dynamic identification of a flapping wing micro air vehicle." AIAA conference, Hawaii. 2008.^ de Croon, G.C.H.E.; de Weerdt, E. ; De Wagter, C. ; Remes, B.D.W. ; Ruijsink, ...

), the Dragonfly was the first to make use of multiple models, each customizable with multiple options, such as wifi connectivity. The Dragonfly UAV built off the research done at

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

's Intelligent Control Systems Laboratory. That research resulted in Patent 9,290,268, filed in 2011 and granted in March 2016. The TectJect company, which spun off from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, was to develop this technology into a reliable consumer product. After several major design changes and deviations from the original patent, no reliable solution was found.

Technical specifications

In their crowdfunding pitches TechJect made a number of dubious claims. The Dragonfly was to be equipped with one of three different electronics packages. These could include the Marc-Basic, Marc-2, and Marc-3. In addition, all models were planned to be built to have camera capability, including

stereoscopic vision Stereopsis () is the component of depth perception retrieved through binocular vision. Stereopsis is not the only contributor to depth perception, but it is a major one. Binocular vision happens because each eye receives a different image beca ...

through dual cameras (available with the Marc-3). HD vision was planned to be optional. Power was planned to be provided from a single-cell Li-Po battery rated at 250mAh. The actuator system for the wings was going to be based on either magnetic solenoidal actuators (Alpha model - retired for now) or a

Continuously Variable Transmission A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. ...

(CVT) for the Delta, Gamma, and Omega models. With a final goal weight of ~25g and a length of 6", the micro UAV was expected to hover for ~8–10 minutes, with a hybrid flight time (hovering and fixed-wing gliding) of ~25–30 minutes. However, these specifications were announced at the beginning of the

campaign and do not reflect any actual hardware.

Cameras and Sensors

TechJect told investors that The Dragonfly would have the ability to be equipped with up to twenty environmental sensors (including GPS and cameras), dependent on electronics package. At minimum, the unit was to be equipped with a 3-axis

accelerometer An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acce ...

and a 3-axis gyroscope as is required for controlled flight through

inertial guidance An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors ( accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (d ...

. At most, the unit was envisioned to equip approximately 20 sensors, including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, 3-axis

magnetometer A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, o ...

s, an ambient light sensor, an ambient humidity sensor, and a differential/absolute pressure sensor.

Production delays

On the third anniversary of the IndieGoGo campaign, TechJect released an update to backers stating that the company "in no position to complete the Dragonfly project in our current condition without a helping hand (partners, additional funding or community support)."Alois, J.D.
When a Crowdfunded Project Runs Out of Money
, Crowdfund Insider, November 16, 2015. TechJect has claimed that the project's failure was the result of a delay in the release of funding by PayPal and IndieGoGo.Burns, Matt.
Another $1 Million Crowdfunded Gadget Company Collapses
, TechCrunch, November 7, 2015. However, the design was much less mature than what was stated during the crowdfunding campaign, and significant time and money was spent finalizing the mechanical design and selecting appropriate materials. The team apologized to backers for what it termed "our dismal approach to the finish line".Sadler, Denham.

, Startup Smart, November 9, 2015. ''Crowdfund Insider'' has described the state of the project as "road kill" and "dead in the water".

TechCrunch TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare. In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximat ...

espoused the view that TechJect's pitch "always seemed a bit far-fetched", and cited it as "the latest example of how consumers need to be more careful with crowdfunding".

Veckans Affärer ''Veckans Affärer'' (, lit. "the week's business") was a Swedish business magazine published on a weekly basis in Stockholm, dealing in all business-related matters both within and outside Sweden. It was in circulation between 1965 and 2019. ...

described the Dragonfly as "too good to be true", and described it and Pirate3D's Buccaneer 3D printer as part of a trend of crowdfunding projects that had not delivered on their promises.Prylen var för bra för att vara sann - crowdfundade bolaget kollapsar
(Swedish), Veckans Affärer, November 9, 2015.

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