What is Masterblaster
Applications

The whole program behind the Masterblaster
Phase #2: XMB-01 Masterblaster technological demonstrator
Resources needed for Phase #2
Appeals for Phase #2

Who is acting in this program
Types of partnership sought
Work in Progress

Intellectual property notice
Contact

Masterblaster synthetizes arts and technicalities from these disciplines into a deliberately carved and designed aerial vehicle, addressing a new way to feel your body and perform in sky
The contraption is flown more on an ice figure skater, gymnast or freestyle skydiving optics rather than on present day aerobatics approach

• Masterblaster is an over-unlimited aerobatic vehicle contraption and a fully prone pilot-centered design
• By "wearing" the Masterblaster, the pilot is dancing in the air
• Vehicle control is achieved by realizing an integral and direct motion relationship between pilot’s body and the articulated structural/aerodynamic shell. Outcome design is a XXI Century compact and sharp mix between human and aircraft topology, character and behaviour. A technological aerial creature
• Conceived and manufactured as a no-frills large scale model rather than a small aircraft. Dimensions: fits in 5x3.5m frame, Weight:~60 kg + engine + pilot. Cost per hour flown: typical of an ULM
• Masterblaster falls in the larger optics and programs of Aerial Creatures & Cognitive Integration: conceive, develop and fly aerial vehicles featuring extreme synergy between pilot and machine, provide scientific and artistic expressivity in sky

• breakthrough in vehicles for aerobatic flying and aerial sports (Phase #2,3)
• breakthrough in aerial choreography, live arts (Phase #3)
• spin off in wearable aerial vehicles (WAV) for the recreational/sport market (Phase #4)
• breakthrough in structure, safety, concept for aerial vehicles (Phase #4)
• technological demonstrators/research vehicles and technologies for man-machine integration, cognitive embodiment (Phase #2,3,4)
• prestige, front end image for people/enterprises holding a vision sufficiently forward to withstand the reach being held by the initiative (Phase #3)
• bioengineering and contemporary art/design

detailed description here

• Phase #2 [present time-year 2007]:
  realisation of the XMB-01 -the technological demonstrator-, flight tests, public release at a main aerospace fair/event (nominally, Le Bourget 2007)
• Phase #3 [year 2007-2008]:
  a few post-prototype units, MB Nouvelle Generation (MB-NG) will be involved in setting up the Masterblaster Choreography Unit (MCU), populated by highly motivated people, making their life out of live art shows in sky, in an analogue line of the "aerial theater" concept issued by Haute Voltige or the mixing between circus and theater performed by Cirque du Soleil
• Phase #4 [present time-->]:
  Spin-off patents, safety concepts and Human Machine Interface developed in the Masterblaster can be invested in mass production of performance-downrated WAV (Wearable Aerial Vehicles), a new conceptual class of flight devices for common people market, though legally falling under the ULM legislation. WAV mass production is carried out by a newfounded company or in partnership with an existing aircraft manufacturer company

XMB-01 description

• The technological demonstrator is called XMB-01. It consists of a few simple bodies in composite material assembled and articulated together, providing full pilot integration, and fixings for a landing gear extension, off the shelf propeller, fuel injected reciprocating engine, fuel system and ballistic recovery system. Overall dimensions fits the 5mx3.5m frame, ~7m2 projected surface, ~60 kg weight for the structure alone.
• It is conceived and manufactured as a no-frills large scale model rather than a small aircraft. The design is simplified to fit straightforwardly and completely into common composite manufactoring techniques.
• XMB-01 is flown "by the seat of the whole body", a mix of hang-gliding and freestyle skydiving postures and technics, with the addition of power control and over-unlimited aerobatics possibilities. The pilot is strapped inside the machine in prone position, body and limbs are interfaced via classical orthopedics orthosis technics. There are no servomechanism whatsoever.
• Outcome design is a XXI Century compact and sharp mix between human and aircraft topology, character and behaviour. A technological aerial creature
• Formally, XMB-01 is a single place ULM as far as weight and stall speed are concerned. This lightens regulations, and fastens prototyping process and operations for this strongly unconventional aerial vehicle
• Patents are pending on the contraption: geometry and further technical information cannot be released here. Please refer to contact information

State of the art

• Geometry: 3D geometry fully developed in PRO/Engineer CAD software, scaled R/C model is being manufactured for flight test purposes and validation of structural articulation solutions
• Aerodynamics: low alpha flight envelope study carried out by a CFD engineer using professional software, equivalence of professional CFD study has been established with X-Plane software model
• Human Machine Interface/Control: Taking advantage of X-Plane extreme flexibility in aerodynamical modelisation and data input, a 6+1 DOF hardware exoskeleton allows to control the synthetic model

Time schedule for year 2006

• May: XMB-01 scale model is built and flown
• Jun: XMB-01 full scale prototype composite parts manufactoring is initiated
• Jun: Test flight documentation process. Marco begins to fly hang gliders again
• Sep: engine, propeller, BRS commercial parts are granted through a sponsorisation optics
• Sep: prototype is assembled
• Sep: go/no go decision to Le Bourget (deadline for inscriptions)
• Oct-Nov: Marco completes his skydiving training (interrupted Apr 2003), gets his PPL revalidated for ULM and gets flight test instruction for ULMs. Enters a detailed XMB-01 simulated test flight program
• Oct-Nov: prototype is rigged for test flying
• Dec: prototype is test flown

Time schedule for year 2007

• Jan-Apr: 200h of flight tests, analysis
• Jan-Apr: troubleshootings, parts modifications
• Apr-Jun: 200h of flight to set up the demo sequence
• Jun: public release of the XMB-01 demonstrator at Le Bourget

In the period running from Oct 2003 up to Jun 2005, Marco tried to establish commercial partnerships in Europe, in order to run XMB-01 under a professional development program. Unfortunately, lack of vision and rentability issues from commercial entreprises wrecked this strategy. The overall volume of a full professional program was evaluated in 400kEuro in year 2005, within european standards. A detailed paper is available upon request concerning this evaluation.

Since Nov 2005, Marco is running the project under an experimental/amateur fashion, starting from a zero net in financial, cooperation and manufacture issues, in Chile. If you are interested, you can follow the progress since then in the work in progress section of this website. Determination to keep up with the schedule is total: project has been simplified in its steps and manufacture methods up to the bare essential.

The project is naked and explicit, by the description given on a experimental/amateur resources optics:

Human Resources: eq. to ~1.000 Euro for sporadic consultancies, the rest is supposed to be on a free basis in change of partnership

• a structural engineer or technician with experience in composite parts design and manufacture, able to provide technical assurance to structural solutions devised by Marco
• a technical person with thorough experience in composite parts molding and manufactoring (mainly technics for glassfiber/carbonfiber + epoxy, sandwich, open molding, vacuum bagging), to provide tutoring to Marco for about 20 hours and sporadic extra assistance
• an aerotechnician, to provide tutoring in the design & installation of the fuel system, control system, and in engine and other off-the-shelf component installation
• a test pilot, willing to share some views with Marco on the topic

Prime materials (structure): eq to ~8.000 Euro (Chilean standards Mar 2006, considering glassfiber)

• Glassfiber or carbonfiber + epoxy resin to supply 2.5 times (conservative estimate) the designed XMB-01 structural weight (2.5*60 kg=150 kg). This allows for spare structural tests, and remaking/upgrading of a 50% of the parts after flight tests. Gel coat and finishing products
• Structural foam layers or honeycombs to be used in ~16m2 of sandwich panels *1.5 = 24m2, to allow for parts upgrading after flight tests
• Glassfiber + resin for mold realisation, about ~16m2 total molded surface, *1.5 = 24m2. Molds for prototyping issues can be realised on less costly materials and trials are being done at present time in this direction
• PU or EP foam for plug realisation (~5 m3 including 50% remaking), coatings
• It is remarkable to note that no CNC milling is required, as 90% of the model complexity has been decomposed on a few striped surfaces and therefore can be cut on hot wire. There are other manufacture subtilies in the rapid prototyping sequence.
• Vacuum bagging system and bagging/molding depensable materials

Prime materials (pilot interface): eq to ~1.000 Euro (Chilean standards Mar 2006)

• Orthopedic foams and tissues

Logistic

• a workshop area with basic facilities for composite lamination and mechanical components assembly
• an airfield with not much fuss around

Commercial components: eq to~ 30.000 Euro (European standards 2005).Commercial parts are granted through a sponsorisation optics once the composite structure is well on its way and can be demonstrated in existence to commercial part providers

• ~70 kW engine (candidate Hirth 3701 ES), gearbox, cooling system, escape system, fuel system
• 3-blade constant RPM propeller
• BRS recovery system
• Controls, landing gear components, fittings
• Optional: Data acquisition hardware (Notebook+DAQ+sensors) + GPS + software (e.g. Matlab/Labview). NB: no flight instruments are normally needed to fly the Masterblaster

Flight tests: eq to ~30 Euro/h flown * ~400 = ~12000 Euro (Chilean standards for ULM including hangarage and basic maintenance)

• (technical) ~300h flown in simulator
• (technical) assistance, fuel and spare parts for ~200h actual flown
• (demo sequence) ~100h simulated, ~200h actual flown to set up a demo sequence of 4' for Le Bourget. Assistance, fuel and spare parts

Le Bourget 2007: logistic + exhibition at the Salon are roughly estimated in ~40.000 Euro

Grand totals equivalent:

~92.000 Euro (paid commercial components and Le Bourget 2007 exhibition)
~52.000 Euro (paid commercial components and sponsorized Le Bourget 2007 exhibition)
~22.000 Euro (sponsorized commercial components and Le Bourget 2007 exhibition)

An existing aircraft manufacturer (small firm) could jump on Phase #2 minimizing the investment risk in the following way:

• Step 1: The firm employs Marco part time, using the resource in tasks which are already financially cleared by existing clients. Tasks are compatible with Marco know how. On its spare time (that's why it is a part time contract), Marco continues prototyping XMB-01 using the manufacture resources and consultancies of the firm. An agreement is signed on the intellectual property: the debatable terms of the agreement will be the actual go/no go contract for this step
• In this way, a confidence is built within the manufacturer and Marco as the work progresses, and the firm has the time -and practice- to evaluate the interdisciplinar technics and concepts behind XMB-01
• Step 2: After a maximum time of three months since Step 1, a decision is done:
  • Should the firm definitively like XMB-01, Marco's and firm's objectives become the same and they sign a partnership
  • Should the firm like Marco interdisciplinar approach and find it useful for own products, should the firm like the WAV concept and product, a contract is signed between the parts
  • Should the firm demonstrate no interest on the above, the contract for step 1 is called off. therefore, contract for step 1 must include this issue too.

Notable facts:

by jumping on XMB-01, the firm has the opportunity to inject a technological challenge to its curriculum: prototype, test fly and bring to a main aerospace fair a technological demonstrator within a yeartime, working around the clock basically like under wartime, for a brand new concept and not a "me too" product, as it is usually the case. The point is: doing a rush for something valuable a rush.

Think on the background in your entreprise that such a project could move.

Concerning the wartime, you can be absolutely certain that Marco is there. Actually, he's already at war since two years after his brainchild, not to mention former years. By giving him the environment and the possibility to build XMB-01 you're injecting a Force in your entreprise.

Marco has worked five years in robot prototyping and knows how things typically go in entreprises. Has also lived for 35 years among people, and knows some facts about them too. Let's do something intelligent.

Aerial Creatures & Cognitive Integration, in the person of Marco Testi, is running 100% of the whole program. Marco, 35, holds experiences as a robotic designer, a pilot, a musician, a degree in Physics and in Cognitive Science, patents concerning haptic sensorial transpositions for aircraft pilots, master-slave correlation for aerial vehicles, and more. Download his CV here

Haute Voltige, sport technique art & culture in the air, are the first people showing a promotional interest in the masterblaster initiative, within their "Aerial Theater" concept. You are welcome to visit their pages

In the past time, Marco has been helped by collaborators who dedicated their time/competences resources on a free basis:
- Giorgio Travostino, CFD engineer, providing all the CFD computations for the low alpha flight envelope
- Andrea Laschi & Wife, providing their lab facilities for the prototyping of masterblaster force&control exoskeleton (www.logoslab.it)
- Liliana Brandolese, Erna Schnaidt, coaching
- Flavia Carozza, CEO Safeline Pilots Training Specialists, providing contacts and promotional ideas
- GB Molinaro, aerobatic pilot, exchanging valuable information every now and then
- Austin Meyer, X-Plane flight simulator & Laminar Research owner/developer, adding 3+3 DOFs input capabilities for the X-Plane simulator release 8.10, needed to drive the synthetic masterblaster model
- Nil Geisweiller, music framing
- Marianna Menzione, artistic framing and coaching
- Giuseppe d'Urzo, Enrica Testi, Andrea Volpi, providing CAD workstations and notebooks AUG 2003-AUG2004, Andrea Volpi, trial of a FEM computation over a wing

Partnerships are sought for with plain people (under no sort of formal and professional discrimination), enterprises and venture capitalists who:

• hold a know-how or realising means which are contextualizable and effective in the initiative
• believe in potentialities and applications for the initiative:
  • breakthrough in vehicles for aerobatic flying and aerial sports (Phase #2,3)
  • breakthrough in aerial choreography, live arts (Phase #3)
  • breakthrough in structure, safety, concept for aerial vehicles (Phase #4)
  • technological demonstrators/research vehicles and technologies for man-machine integration, cognitive embodiment (Phase #2,3,4)
  • prestige, front end image for people/enterprises holding a vision sufficiently forward to withstand the reach being held by the initiative (Phase #3)

Terms and characteristics of the partnership are aimed at making things work and in having a good feeling among us. You're welcome to write, bring in what you feel you can do, and we will talk over the terms of the partnership

Information included in this page is functional to a presentation under no confidential agreements between the parts, and is issued on a first approach optics.
Ideas, marketing strategies and other information presented here is offered on a partnership optics. If you are not planning to enter in a partnership agreement, it is not fair using this information for your own or third parts profit. The name Masterblaster in conjunction with an aerial vehicle, the new flying object category called WAV and other explicit marks or ideas presented here are included in the fair agreement notice presented above.