While stuck on campus over Thanksgiving break due to Covid, Tom Wiesenberg and I decided to design and build a 3D printed hovercraft based on spare drone parts left over from prior builds. We had the idea of modifying the 'Tiny Whoover' concept that I had read about a few years prior.

Tiny Whoover hovercrafts are a derivation of 'Tiny Whoops', which are micro drones that enable FPV (First Person View) flight within confined spaces. Typically, Tiny Whoovers require the destruction of the donor Tiny Whoop, which we sought to avoid.

The design phase went through many iterations, as we discovered the limitations of the drone's output power and control authority. The final model succeeded as we reduced the amount of plastic in the hull as well as the overall of volume. 

Our hovercraft works in a very similar way to the Tiny Whoover. The front two ducts function exactly the same. They fill the cavity, creating positive pressure. The hovercraft then floats on the film of high pressure air.

The crafts differ in their forward propulsion and maneuverability. The Tiny Whoover uses differential thrust from the reorientation of fans into a vertical position, which then allow the hovercraft to turn and accelerate. This achieves simple yet effective control.

 Our model redirects the airflow within the 3D printed body, from the back set of downward facing ducts out the rear of the craft. Turning is done by the yaw control that would turn the drone in normal flight, as differential thrust couldn't provide the appropriate amount of torque.