US-2 Drone Drop Tether Project

Abstract

Highly capable, camera-equipped drones are currently used by many law enforcement agencies and surveillance services for both general surveillance and target pursuit. One current option is the US-1 Quadcopter shown below in Figure 1, a leading drone solution in the surveillance market. The creator of the US-1, Vayu Aerospace, is currently developing the US-2 as a successor to the US-1 model. One underserved capability they have identified in the market is the use of a detachable tether system to prolong flight while tethered and still allow quick pursuit due to a detachable mechanism. This project aims to design this detachable tether system and create a proof-of-concept prototype.