Cooper Taylor, a 17-year-old junior at Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS) in Greenwich, CT, has gained national attention for designing a cost-efficient modular drone. Throughout his time at GCDS, Cooper has been heavily engaged in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs, an area of education widely recognized as critical for post-secondary education and career paths. The classes Cooper takes at GCDS perfectly poised him to take a closer look at some of the flaws present in the drone his little sister had received as a gift. The biggest issue his sister found was that when she wanted to use the drone, she could only do so for about 20 minutes before the battery would be drained.

This is a common issue with all drones. A drone’s battery can only be so big compared to the size of the drone, which generally caps flight time at 20 to 30 minutes. VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) drones tend to have a longer flight time, as Cooper learned through his research. VTOL drones are a hybrid of a fixed-wing aircraft and a rotor-style helicopter. They take off and land like a helicopter, without the need for a runway, then transition to gliding like a fixed-wing plane. This allows them to conserve energy and remain airborne for longer periods of time.

A consumer VTOL drone can have a flight time ranging from 30 to 60 minutes, while a commercial one can operate for upwards of 2 hours. Some military VTOL drones are capable of completing missions exceeding 5 hours. However, VTOL drones are noticeably more expensive. A decent quality multi-rotor drone can cost around $1,500, while a comparable VTOL drone can cost about $20,000. Cooper recognized that one of the biggest costs of VTOL drones was the additional motors needed to allow the drone to transition between fixed-wing and rotor flight. He also realized there was a way to change the design that would allow for this transition without costly additional motors.

Cooper’s idea was to build one motor that could start off in one position and then tilt to accommodate different flight requirements, was fully modular, and 3D printed. In theory, this would lessen the overall weight of the drone by eliminating the need for extra parts, which would, in turn, increase flight time and reduce production costs. Cooper spent hundreds of hours last summer tinkering with his concept, seeking assistance from online forums and his mentor, Dr. David Handelman. Cooper said his first three prototypes failed terribly, but his persistence paid off.

By his fourth drone prototype, which he was able to successfully fly and land in one piece, Cooper knew he was onto something. The sixth iteration of his drone weighs about 6 lbs, has a wingspan of just over 4 ft, and has so far been tested at flight times that do not exceed 15 minutes. According to his calculations, he believes that at a cruising speed of 45 mph, the drone could remain airborne for 105 minutes. With encouragement from Dr. Handelman, Cooper entered his prototype into the Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium on February 22, 2025.

His achievements clearly caught the eye of the judging panel, spurring him on to win multiple awards at that competition, followed by additional honors at the March 12-15, 2025 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair, and the May 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, OH. The culmination of these events secured Cooper $23,000 in scholarships. He was awarded an $8,000 scholarship from the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and a $15,000 scholarship from the U.S. Navy.

While incredibly grateful for all he has learned and the recognition he has received, Cooper is not ready to slow down yet. He is currently working on his seventh prototype, building upon everything he has learned so far. Ultimately, this was a project that brought him a lot of joy. “I actually love doing this,” Cooper said. “It’s so much fun for me.” As he finishes his junior year of high school, Cooper is looking forward to the further learning experiences he will garner at a summer program being offered at the Reliable Autonomous Systems Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As drone technology continues to evolve, students like Cooper Taylor are proving that the next generation of engineers is already hard at work shaping the future.

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