TU Delft Talaria

Talaria is a team of TU Delft students developing a working prototype of a personal flying device. The prototype has reached the final round of Go Fly, a $2 million competition to design a personal flying device capable of safe, quiet, ultra-compact, and near-VTOL flight. Talaria is committed to minimizing noise impacts and is develop a zero-emission vehicle that utilizes autonomous or semi-autonomous systems to ensure the highest level of safety and efficiency.

Aircraft Type: VTOL, no fixed wing

Powerplant: undisclosed

Range: undisclosed

Top Speed: over 50 mph

Propeller Configuration: two counter rotating propellers for vertical lift with 2 electric ducted fans for forward flight

Passenger/Payload Capacity: 1 pilot

Autonomy Level: Piloted

Wingspan/Dimensions: undisclosed, 10ft x 8 ft (est)

The Hermes II prototype is configured for 30 minutes of flight time, with capabilities such as vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), single passenger occupancy, and a 35 km range.

According to the team, "Talaria aims for highly efficient designs that can take advantage of electric power systems as soon as possible. This high efficiency also means lower RPMs and quieter rotor systems. With the help of cutting-edge technologies and research at TU Delft, Talaria hopes to bring about an emission-free and ultra-quiet future of personal air mobility."

The Talaria team has reached the final round of the Go Fly competition with its Hermes II prototype, and the winner is set to be announced in the upcoming weeks. TU Delft has a highly reputable engineering acumen, and consistently forms teams with top talent looking to solve the world's next engineering problem. Project Talaria is no different - an impressive effort from a university team with world-class resources. The motorcycle-like design with a single passenger occupancy lends itself to solely become a personal flying device, as opposed to a viable solution for commercialized urban transportation.  However, Hermes II meets all requirements for the Go Fly competition and utilizes many transferrable technologies for more widespread applications.