Software Engineer Demonstrates Single-Motor Drone Built With 3D Printing and Custom Firmware

While single-motor aircraft designs offer theoretical mechanical simplicity compared to helicopters or quadcopters, they demand substantially more sophisticated control algorithms to operate effectively.

Joshua Bird, a software engineer with interests in both drone technology and additive manufacturing, has unveiled a single-motor drone prototype that he constructed and tested within a residential setting, including on a bed. Bird documented the build process in a YouTube video, demonstrating the unconventional stabilization method at the heart of his design. His approach combines a hinged propeller mechanism with millisecond-level motor speed modulation, supported by custom firmware running on both the flight controller and motor controller that can execute corrections in under 0.2 milliseconds.

Conventional rotary-wing aircraft employ secondary systems to counteract motor torque and enable directional control, typically incorporating a swash plate to adjust rotor disk angle alongside an auxiliary propeller. This established architecture has proven reliable across decades of aviation, but it introduces significant weight and mechanical complexity. Bird's single-motor approach eliminates the need for these secondary components by continuously modulating motor velocity—accelerating the rotor generates increased reaction torque in one direction, while deceleration applies opposing torque. This continuous rebalancing between the two forces keeps the drone body's net torque within manageable limits.