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Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#41

Post by dclowd9901 »

nickpp wrote: post #38
bglazer wrote: post #19

Do you have any ethical concerns about the use of your technology for surveillance of civilian populations? That’s the obvious use case for this technology, right? Cheaper and more easily retargetable than satellites. Longer duration, quieter, and more resilient than manned aircraft, but not fast or maneuverable enough to survive in contested airspace. So that leaves large area, long term surveillance in uncontested…

Shouldn’t ethical concerns stop the usage of a technology, not its creation? Otherwise we risk never gaining the upside of said technology.

We can’t even stop usage of it. It’s futile. Best case is to also invent ways of disabling surveillance.

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#43

Post by creyes12345 »

actinium226 wrote: post #31
creyes12345 wrote: post #18

I was peripherally involved with a similar project a few years ago. They got bought out by Facebook. This was before Aquila. There’s a good reason why most airplanes look and behave alike: because it works. Technology choices like flying wings (not used here) or twisting wings (used here) are a “code smell” to my computer programmer nose. To me, nothing is sexier than good reliable technology that works. Smart invest…

To be fair, the Wright Flyer used twisting wings. Ailerons took over, but it's not like twisting wings are some low TRL thing.

The Wright brothers were incredible engineers, and a twisting wing made sense for their design. For high efficiency, a stiff wing is a must. Nowadays active stability systems make more designs practical. But the mission goals here favor low weight and reliability.

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#44

Post by BWStearns »

actinium226 wrote: post #31
creyes12345 wrote: post #18

I was peripherally involved with a similar project a few years ago. They got bought out by Facebook. This was before Aquila. There’s a good reason why most airplanes look and behave alike: because it works. Technology choices like flying wings (not used here) or twisting wings (used here) are a “code smell” to my computer programmer nose. To me, nothing is sexier than good reliable technology that works. Smart invest…

To be fair, the Wright Flyer used twisting wings. Ailerons took over, but it's not like twisting wings are some low TRL thing.

Also the Wright bros’ litigiousness over their IP was a main driver of the effective extinction of wing warping and the rise of ailerons rather than strictly engineering concerns. I imagine with newer materials wing warping could be pretty effective.

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#46

Post by frontiersummit »

someuser54541 wrote: post #35

How does the aircraft get to 70k feet? Is it launched from a separate vehicle?

I'm similarly curious. Designing for a higher stall speed permits smaller wing area, lower drag, and lower weight. The cost is that takeoffs and landings become troublesome.

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#47

Post by syntaxing »

Fun to see this problem tackled again, I worked at a startup during the boom around a decade ago. Startup failed less than a year (mixture of funding drying up and a shitty founder). Wonder if the technological landscape has changed enough where this is business viable.

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#48

Post by ge96 »

syntaxing wrote: post #47

Fun to see this problem tackled again, I worked at a startup during the boom around a decade ago. Startup failed less than a year (mixture of funding drying up and a shitty founder). Wonder if the technological landscape has changed enough where this is business viable.

Would think so, better motors, better sensors, better batteries, better cells, etc...

Not a fan of the split tail (wing torsion) but Virgin Galactic does it with their massive mothership.

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#49

Post by zeusk »

frontiersummit wrote: post #46
someuser54541 wrote: post #35

How does the aircraft get to 70k feet? Is it launched from a separate vehicle?

I'm similarly curious. Designing for a higher stall speed permits smaller wing area, lower drag, and lower weight. The cost is that takeoffs and landings become troublesome.

Could be catapult launched?

Re: Launch HN: Radical (YC W23) – Autonomous high-altitude solar aircraft

#50

Post by abdullahkhalids »

The technology is impressive, but it's worth spending some time thinking of the social-economic evolution of this technology.

Initially, this will likely be used in niche areas, like disaster management. Then, as prices come down, it will start to be used in luxury areas. Perhaps, as internet for concerts and festivals. Ultimately, someone is going to figure out how to use this to run advertisements in the sky, day and night.

Then as technology becomes even more reliable, rich people with remote cabins/small remote towns are going to start buying these planes to supply internet to them. Ultimately, if successful, you will start to see these everywhere in the sky.

The end result, the sky, the commons of humanity will be polluted by devices that only a small rich minority will benefit from, but the cost will be borne collectively by everyone in society.

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