By the late 1800s, Nikola Tesla had begun to make a name for himself as an engineer and inventor in the United States. One of Tesla’s inventions would eventually lead to the development of one of today’s fastest growing industries. In the 1890’s, Tesla began experimenting with transmitting power wirelessly by using radio waves to control wireless lightbulbs. Building upon this concept, Tesla realized he could use wireless power to control automation. Applying the technology to the growing need for naval strength, Tesla built the first remote controlled boat, though it was a design that the US government opted to forgo. Shortly thereafter, aircraft became vital during World War I, which eventually led to militaries looking for options like Tesla’s remote controlled device for an edge over their enemies. Tesla’s patent No. 613,809 for a boat controlled by radio waves became the basis for modern robotics, specifically drones.

Tesla’s brilliance has continued to drive many of the world’s greatest engineers and inventors. Elon Musk was so inspired by Nikola, that he named his company in his honor. Today, Tesla Inc. is one of the largest companies in the world making creations that were introduced by Nikola. And though Elon Musk seemingly had a grand time dancing with a drone at the opening of the latest Tesla gigafactory in Berlin, Germany in March of 2022, Tesla Inc. has surprisingly stayed out of the competitive drone industry.

However, an industrial engineer based out of the UK has applied Tesla Inc.’s battery technology to a drone design of his own for what he sees as a reinterpretation of drone inventiveness. “The common issue with personal drones today is their lack of battery capacity, which in turn, limits their flight time to 20 minutes and their charging time to an hour,” says Fraser Leid. “With that in mind, I associated the drone design to a company synonymous with battery efficiency and incorporated an effective battery integration concept.” Using a Tesla battery was just the starting point for Fraser, he also redefined the typical body shape of a drone.

Most modern drones are quadrocopters, many of which use a stabilizing gimbal to support a drone’s most popular accessory, a camera. Fraser’s Tesla Drone has the battery as the central piece. The camera is attached to the battery housing. Coming off from the Tesla battery is a twin blade system that can change configuration and replaces the need for a gimbal. “If the operator requires the drone for slow, wide-angled panoramic videos, the propellers in a vertical configuration will allow the drone to move slowly and steadily,” Fraser explains. “If the operator requires the drone for fast-paced, low-angled action videos, the propellers in a horizontal configuration will make the drone nimble, quick and easy to handle at faster speeds, while also steadying the camera.”

Fraser’s Tesla Drone is currently just in the conceptual stage. Like many of Nikola’s concepts, the Tesla Drone may never make it to production. Also like Nikola Tesla and Elon Musk, Fraser has decided to relocate to the US to further his engineering career. He is already working with Red Stag Fulfillment in Knoxville, TN to design a viable drone delivery system. It has been 124 years since Nikola Tesla introduced the concept that would one day become a drone. It will be amazing to see what the future of drone design and technology will look like.

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