Designer Deepak Dadheech wants to make future drones greener with bamboo

In Bangalore, industrial designer and mechanical engineer Deepak Dadheech envisions a delivery drone made largely out of bamboo that is more sustainable to produce and would biodegrade at the end of its usable life.

Dadheech has created a design with bamboo being used for the drone’s frame, legs, and arms. In most of today’s drones, these elements are made from plastic or expensive carbon fiber. All told, each hexacopter would contain about $12 worth of bamboo and weigh just 350 kg. Circuitry, motors and propellers would still be made from conventional materials.

According to Yanko Design, bamboo was chosen for the hexacopter design because it is lightweight yet also durable, especially when it comes to its tensile strength. Hardwood would be more likely to break on impact. Bamboo also grows much faster and with fewer resources.