Aibot aiEVTOL (concept design)

aiEVTOL (concept design)
Aibot US Inc.
Long Beach, California, USA
www.aibot.ai

Aibot was founded in May 2022 in Long Beach, California, USA. The company emerged from stealth mode in November 2023 and is in the business of designing and manufacturing artificial intelligent (AI) autonomous piloted long-range highly-automated hyper-performance passenger and cargo electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company received a $15 million USD grant from the California Competes Grant Program in 2023. As of 2024, the company has more than 60 employees.

Aibot eVTOL long-range hyper-performance passenger eVTOL concept design aircraft
The aiEVTOL is a aesthetically modern looking and fast long-range hyper-performance highly-automated artificial intelligent (AI) autonomous piloted passenger eVTOL concept design aircraft. The aircraft will initially hold one pilot, six passengers and their luggage. When AI autonomous piloting technology matures and federal air regulations allow, the aircraft will have autonomous piloting.

The company is using Honeywell’s compact fly-by-wire (cFBW) flight control system for flying the aircraft. Honeywell's cFBW system enables the removal of conventional mechanical linkages controlling the effectors, streamlines maintenance procedures and reduces costs throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft. The company also has in-house developed proprietary avionics software called Control Allocation. For batteries, the company is going to use a next-gen top-of-the-line battery system that use high voltages that guarantee power, energy and reliability.

As all concept designs, all specifications are estimated and will change when a production prototype is made and flown. In addition, the aircraft's range will vary with speed and its payload weight. While some of the aircraft's specifications are unknown we do know some things about the aiEVTOL aircraft. The maximum cruise speed of the aircraft is estimated to be 250 mph (402 km/h) and has an expected range of 250 miles (402 km). The maximum payload weight is projected to be 1,000 lb (454 kg) and has an anticipated maximum takeoff weight of 7,000 lb (3,175 kg).

The aircraft has eight propellers, eight electric motors and is powered by battery packs. The aircraft has a long 47 foot (14.3 meters) wing which is typical of long-range eVTOL aircraft - to have wings. The fuselage is foreseen to have a carbon fiber composite fuselage for a high strength to low weight ratio.

Prototypes
The company has already built and flown five subscale technology demonstrators with over 500 hours of flight time. In 2023, the company started its next-generation 500 pound aircraft and took it through to its first hover. The company went from a clean sheet design, to a complete aerospace product and then to a first hover in just nine months.

Future
In 2024, the company plans to expand its team from 60 members to nearly 200 people and intends to pursue a public offering when it achieves significant milestones and operational success. Aibot also proposes to reveal its first full-scale prototype with an inaugural flight aimed for 2025. The company aims to bring a remotely piloted heavy-lift air cargo eVTOL drone to market by the end of 2024, with their single-pilot, six-passenger eVTOL air taxi aircraft to follow in 2028.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Long-range hyper-performance passenger and cargo eVTOL concept design aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot (at first), then AI using compact fly-by-wire (cFBW)
• Capacity: 6 passengers
• Maximum cruise speed: 250 mph (402 km/h)
• Range: 250 miles (402 km) (range will vary with speed and payload)
• Maximum payload weight: 1,000 lb (454 kg)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 7,000 lb (3,175 kg)
• Propellers: 8 propellers
• Electric motors: 8 electric motors
• Power source: Battery packs
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
• Window: Canopy over cockpit
• Wings: 1 wing, 47 ft (14.3 m) (1 wing possibly)
• Tail: Unknown
• Landing gear: Unknown (possibly retractable tricycle wheeled landing gear)
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. There is also a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

Related Aircraft:

• Aibot US Inc. aiEVTOL Drone (concept design)

Company Insights:

• Crunchbase
• Tracxn

Resources:

• Aibot website
• Aibot Facebook
• Aibot Twitter
• Aibot Instagram
• Aibot LinkedIn
• Article: AIBOT to Integrate Honeywell’s cBFW System into eVTOL Aircraft, Honeywell, Nov. 15, 2023
• Article: Honeywell to provide cFBW system support for AIBOT eVTOL aircraft, MRO Business Today, Nov. 15, 2023
• Article: California-Based AIBOT Secures $15 Million Grant, Propelling Innovation in AI-Defined eVTOL Aircraft for Advanced Air Mobility, Drone Life, Nov. 22, 2023
• Article: AIBot Partners with Honeywell to Develop Flight Controls for Autonomous eVTOL Aircraft, FutureFlight, Dec. 14, 2023
• Article: Startup AIBOT To Integrate AI Into eVTOL Vehicles, Aviation Week, Dec. 20, 2023
• Video: Going the Distance with AIBOT, Dawn Zoldi, Jan. 21, 2024
• Video: A look into the engineering behind AIBOT's new drone, Dawn Zoldi, Jan. 24, 2024
• Article: AIBOT: Creating AI-Defined Enterprise Drones and Air Taxis!, AUVSI, Jan. 30, 2024