Chinese student Xu Yang breaks ‘impossible’ microdrone world speed record
With help from other drone speedsters, Xu comes up with his own 3D-printed propellers for his superfast small quadcopter
The Prowess microdrone, weighing less than 250 grams (8.8 ounces), reached 340.78km/h (211.75mph), setting a world record for remote-controlled microdrone quadcopters.
The record was broken by model aircraft enthusiast Xu Yang on March 23 in Huizhou, Guangdong province, according to a WeChat post by Guinness World Records on Monday.
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According to Chinese media reports, Xu is a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen.
“Based on the test data, I thought the official challenge speed would be around 320km/h, but I did not expect it to reach 340km/h in the end, and even reached 358km/h with a tailwind,” Xu told Guinness World Records.
According to the post, the achievement broke through a limit in the field that had not been surpassed in three years, marking a milestone in the design of micro-unmanned aerial vehicles.
Xu was inspired to build his drone after Quadmovr, a content creator that designs and builds remote-controlled aircraft, proposed a microdrone concept in 2022 and built a prototype that reached 219km/h.
This unofficial record was broken by Xu in October after his prototype reached 244km/h during a test flight. After consulting drone builders overseas, Xu improved the design and speed of his drone.