Monday, June 16, 2025

A Teen Designed a Cheaper, Efficient Drone. DoD Liked It

Cooper Taylor, 17, is looking to revolutionize the drone industry with a new design. Taylor designed a motor-tilting mechanism to lower manufacturing costs and increase efficiency.

More

The market for small aerial drones is oversaturated, defense industry insiders said, with many companies offering similar systems.

[image or embed]

-- Business Insider (@businessinsider.com) Jun 14, 2025 at 7:48 AM

Comments

More from the article ...

... Taylor has spent the past year optimizing a type of drone that's being used more and more in agriculture, disaster relief, wildlife conservation, search-and-rescue efforts, and medical deliveries.

His design makes the drone more efficient, customizable, and less expensive to construct, he says. He's built six prototypes, 3D printing every piece of hardware, programming the software, and even soldering the control circuit board.

He says building his drone cost one-fifth of the price of buying a comparable machine, which sells for several thousand dollars.

Taylor told Business Insider he hopes that "if you're a first responder or a researcher or an everyday problem solver, you can have access to this type of drone."

His innovation won him an $8,000 scholarship in April at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, funded by the Defense Department. Then, on May 16, he received an even bigger scholarship of $15,000 from the US Navy, which he won after presenting his research at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-15 10:58 PM

How soon until Kegseth starts selling them to Putin?

#2 | Posted by Nixon at 2025-06-16 12:30 PM

Drudge Retort Headlines

DOJ, FBI Conclude Epstein had no 'client list,' Died by Suicide (69 comments)

US Only Country Facing Tourism Decline (60 comments)

My Rural Hospital Is in Danger (47 comments)

Federal Forecast Concerns Surface in Texas' Deadly Flooding Debate (40 comments)

AI Explains Billionaire Taxes vs Your Taxes (39 comments)

Hamas Says It Has Lost Control over 80% of Gaza (37 comments)

UK: Ozzy Osbourne Sings Final Concert with Black Sabbath (31 comments)

'We've been ghosted by FEMA' (26 comments)

Trump Admin has Begun Garnishing Wages of Student Loan Borrowers in Default (24 comments)

'We Aren't Paying You To Pray' (23 comments)