Undefined Technologies Demonstrates Viability of Ion Propulsion Drone

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Florida-based startup Undefined Technologies has announced that its Silent Ventus ion propulsion eVTOL drone has cleared an essential test flight.

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The aircraft met its projected flight time and lifting power, and showcased its flight performance over the course of the 4-1/2 minute flight, demonstrating higher efficiency power delivery systems and noise levels under 75 dB.

“We’ve been on this upward trajectory for nearly a whole year, working hard on overcoming many technical challenges related to craft’s cooling systems, battery lifetime, avionics, and noise-abatement technologies,” said Undefined Technologies Founder and CEO Tomas Pribanic. “This milestone secures our vision of making ion propulsion technology viable for use in atmospheric conditions. I’m incredibly proud of our highly dedicated team who has been relentless in bringing our breakthrough over to the next development phase.”

By the end of 2023, Undefined Technologies intends to reach 15 minute flight times with sub-70 dB noise levels, in accordance with noise restrictions for the last-mile cargo delivery sector. The company has continuously adhered to a strict vertical integration model, designing and manufacturing its in-house components to accelerate development, safeguard its intellectual property, and reduce supply chain disruptions.

“This 4+ min flight required advances in the chemical composition of the batteries that can now provide us with higher energy densities,” said Undefined Technologies Lead Aerospace Engineer, Thomas Benda Jr. “This improvement is part of our efforts to target lighter weights.”

Silent Ventus’s “Ion Booster” creates an ion cloud, resulting in levels of thrust with a 150% increase in comparison to current ion thruster technologies. The thrust generated by the Ion Booster opens the door for this technology to serve as a viable option for electric propulsion.

Undefined Technologies has previously proven that it possesses the necessary infrastructure and talent to deliver the eVTOL craft into commercialization for civil and military applications. The company seeks to create a production-ready serial drone in 2024. As a result of strong show of interest by Federal and Commercial entities, Undefined Technologies is positioned to open a new funding round.

Recently, the company has demonstrated its all-electric drone at a variety of UAV and urban mobility expo shows, such as Manifest 2022, CoMotion Miami 2022, the Commercial UAV Expo Americas, and the AUVSI XPONENTIAL, where it generated major interest from the largest drone delivery companies in the private sector.

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.