Helioctopus

It is probably mainly a variation of my previous idea about swarms

http://ideatarium.blogspot.com/2014/09/quadcopter-swarms.html



To carry heavy loads (I mean part of a bridge, assembled homes....)  propeller only fan structure could be built.
The engine an the cockpit are in control ground vehicle (traditional cockpit with rest stuff is possible of cause, it is just one more sub-idea). Remote cameras, energy and so on by wire... with double connection (to jump over obstacles).

The main difference is in propeller. 

It is very wide radius (to maximize lifting) with spinning circle motor and base. Due to large size of the circle-motor itself the permanent magnets could be light and thin (not sure). Fixed rotation angle - control like in quadracopters by changing individual fan speed. 

Coaxial fans could be used, but 3 clockwise to 2 back spinning fans (with calculated radius) looks better to me for now.   

Helicopter with rotating push rotor

The new Sikorsky S-97 model which uses the  push rotor to speed up the flight I am more and more sure that half turned back rotor as awkward it may look will find its way.

Coaxial counter-rotating main rotors stabilize the rotational torque of the helicopter to get rid of the traditional back rotor (as in Russian KA 52).  But the second row of blades with extra controls and transmission complicate the machinery, hence cost... 

My offer is to leave one traditional row of blades, but turn the back rotor with a counted angle. 

I think such attempts were made before, however, they probably used mechanical synchronization. Nowadays with all the quadrocopters and electronically changed fan speed it could be possible to precisely adjust the compensation speed. The part of the back rotor energy will push the helicopter forward  ( the main rotor will speed up or turn to "forward" as well). If not mistaken such helicopter will have to move forward from the beginning (slowly up and forward, without any runway) - if so it is noticeable but still acceptable restriction in many fields. 

If hovering is essential, the angle turning mechanism could be added. Just turn to traditional position... 

Benefits cheaper than S-97 and faster traditional.

      

 

Dyson like airplane electrical fan engines

as always just concept idea

Dyson fan invention claim to be more efficient even though it takes less front surface area i.e. less air drag (assume).

If so, it is natural to see such technology in future electric planes. I published one concept before where the cycle fan round the main body. Here I offer to use it in the wing itself.
The longer the wing the better the lift. Even though such plane would fly slower (fans gets less efficient after 700 km/h), but it could be used in information air satellites (science solar panels planes like Solar Impulse, WiFi providing Google and Facebook planes) or in cargo planes where time of the flight is not as crucial as price.

 

Plane container

It could be much faster to have airport logistics, if not for passengers but for small shipment, if planes have attached containers.
Like this Sikorsky Ch 54b Skycrane

 

The carbon made light container moved in or create one full body with the plane.

Two runways and attaching container will work as conveyor  - fast and constant.

*

Two runways 1 for landing 4 for taking off, unloading machinery 2 (and plane inspection), attaching machinery (and fueling) 3. On the side there are container fulfillment logistic park 5 and the plane maintenance. 

With auto-piloting planes, carbon bodies  and small engines like new LiquidPiston’s X Mini it is perfect for postage of 2-4 people taxi. 

http://www.gizmag.com/liquidpiston-x-mini-engine/34747/ 

* Direction of the plane is not exact, depends on the wind and plane schedule. 

Plane hyperloop

If the Elon's idea of the Hyperloop work, it's probably naturally to expand it on the plane as well.
With all cameras and computerization it;s probably ok to have the plane without front pilot windows.
So to reduce the front friction =faster and more efficient, to push more air to the jet engines the sucking turbine and wing air intakers could be used.

If wing intakers do not reduce the air lift (on the close to 90 degree area) the airflow could be redirected to engine to minimize it's front area.  

Jet engine

This is more of a speculation rather than something real, however, since this blog is just a brain storming game, I'd rather say it.

Modern commercial jet engine is more efficient than it's predecessor due to external compressed air flow. Here you see the new

and an old one

It happens, I guess, because of the larger funnel which prolongate the hot air in linear direction. The longer the tail the more pressure on exhaust cone which push the plane. 

If this long hot air effect is essential, it could be useful to think of such engine type:

The main compression and fuel injection 1 is the same except the size - it should be enlarged to redirect part of the air inside - into internal part of the exhaust 2. 

Overall the exhaust system should be longer to make the flow more linear, like rifle to pistol. 

To increase the funnel effect I suggest to make tor-like exhaust system. And to make the nozzle even longer the high dense pressure air flow 6 may create the wall - the same as Dyson hand drier with very narrow air flow.   The general high pressure support air is also help to extent the funnel.

In case the engine require more air, the extra front size, probably better to take from air intake located above the wing - making less pressure = more air lift, however I will say more it tomorrow.   

 

Adjustable wing - rotation

This is second concept idea to adapt the planes - bigger wings during take off and smaller in flight to reduce drag.

Wings rotate for about 30 degrees. They have support to guide rotation and spread the load from moving parts.  

If it is not enough the second layer of small upper wings could be used.

Adjustable wing - slide into

Although I think all the moving parts in planes have huge safety risks, it is still could lead to some benefits.
For better lift plane need larger wings, but they create drag during the flight. So adjustable wing design could optimize the flight economy.
Here are the first one: Plane consists of two bodies, side wings slide into the middle wing.

Full body airplane propeller

The bigger the blades the better efficiency (at least in electric wind mills generators).
If the plane has big fan it could  spin with lower speed = less noise and produce more torque.

It is relatively easy to make with electric motors, but I think, it is possible to create the get injection ~ like Elon's Musk Hyperloop

waving wing

Far fetched idea, just for discussion - Waving wing plane or dirigible.

Hypothesis: it might be more efficient to push the plane by waving wings than propeller / jet.
Take the fish for instance, they don't fly in water; snaking movement don't create water cavity = no or minimum drug. Using the amplitude and frequency for speed adaptation. Such a construction could become not efficient with high speed....  

Quadcopter Swarms

Tree years passed since the first synchronized quadcopter flight were introduced. I was expecting to see the basic but practical implementation very soon.

Quadrotor Flying Robots Team Up To Lift Objects  - 7/12/10
http://gizmodo.com/5585108/quadrotor-flying-robots-team-up-to-lift-objects

Quadcopter Swarms In Rapid Movements & Formationshttp://www.greycoder.com/quadcopter-swarms-in-rapid-movements-formations/    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQIMGV5vtd4


To my surprise, big companies like Amazon and now Google concentrated on developing drones in important but much more complicated in terms of safety and regulations - parcel delivery market.
In my opinion it is a good way to find the social acceptance performing the more complex tasks in controllable area - synchronized weight lifting. From cell phone equipment to firefighting - barricade your working zone, insure your load and amaze the audience, prepare the public opinion (like we have now with self driving cars).
The swarms take place to overcome the individual low capacity. I personally think the hawser connected,  parachute like swarm structure being more complex is much more agile:

The light rigid interconnected frame is also a good approach

To prevent your doubt about the total capacity, with bigger fans here we have a helicopter:
e-volo Firmenportrait Volocopter VC200

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzP0Zqxam7E

Here we can see the right direction. The only left is to connect to the load

http://www.gizmag.com/distributed-flight-array-self-assembling-multicopter/28380/