The future of mobility has been in the air for some time, in every sense. Because it has been talked about for a long time, and because it aims for the skies: eVTOL, taxis and flying cars have always been in the collective imagination, and for some time in the laboratories of companies around the world. CycloTech is one of these: with its CruiseUp, the Austrian company not only presents a flying car, but an innovative way of moving it. What makes it so special? The answer lies in its rotors.
The magic of CycloRotors
The CycloRotors are the beating heart of CruiseUp. These rotors, developed and perfected by CycloTech over 15 years of research and development, represent a real revolution in the field of air propulsion. Unlike traditional rotors and propellers, CycloRotors are capable of providing 360° vectored thrust.
This means they can direct thrust in any direction, allowing CruiseUp to fly forwards, backwards, sideways and even stop in the air, all without tilting the vehicle.
This maneuverability is made possible thanks to the Voith-Schneider principle, on which the CycloRotors technology is based.
The Voith-Schneider principle
It usually refers to a particular type of marine thruster that does not use traditional propellers but vertical blades mounted on a rotating disk. By varying the angle of inclination of the blades during rotation, it is possible to generate thrust in any horizontal direction. This offers exceptional maneuverability for ships, but can it be adapted to aircraft? CycloTech says yes.
The specific configuration of CruiseUp includes six CycloRotors to ensure high redundancy and allow the vehicle to fly and land safely even in the event of a rotor failure.
Beyond the rotors
CruiseUp is not just technology. It is a vision of a future in which individual and sustainable air mobility becomes an everyday reality. Imagine being able to climb into a contraption like that and fly above city traffic, reaching your destination in a fraction of the time it takes today. And all this with minimal environmental impact, thanks to the electric propulsion of these rotors.
The company expects that, after the first wave of commercial VTOL electric vehicles, a second wave of sustainable electric air mobility will emerge. In this scenario, vehicles like CruiseUp will become privately owned, fulfilling the ultimate customer expectation: true point-to-point transportation capacity, available to all.
In summary, the sky will no longer be the limit.
