Whisper Aero: Quieting the Future of Flight - Drones & Air Taxis

The Future of Flight: Addressing Noise Pollution from Drones and eVTOL Aircraft

The airspace is poised for a significant increase in activity as companies developing drone delivery services and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft progress towards commercial operations. A former NASA engineer and the previous director of Uber’s air taxi division is now dedicated to developing technology that will mitigate the potential for increased noise levels accompanying this growth in air traffic.

Introducing Whisper Aero

Mark Moore, formerly the director of engineering at Uber Elevate before its acquisition by Joby Aviation, has founded his own company, Whisper Aero. This startup, recently emerging from a period of stealth development, is focused on creating an electric thruster designed to integrate the sound emissions from both delivery drones and eVTOL aircraft into ambient noise levels, rendering them almost undetectable to the human ear.

The Complexity of Noise Reduction

Achieving this goal presents a substantial challenge. Simply reducing the volume of noise isn't sufficient; the characteristics of the noise itself are crucial. Noise profiles are defined by variables such as frequency.

Helicopters, for instance, generate noise from both a main rotor and a tail rotor, creating two distinct frequencies. This combination is perceived as more irritating than a single, consistent frequency, as Moore explained in a recent interview with TechCrunch.

Unique Acoustic Profiles of eVTOL Aircraft

The situation is further complicated by the fact that eVTOL companies are pioneering entirely new aircraft designs, potentially generating acoustic profiles that differ from traditional rotorcraft like helicopters. Recent research conducted by the U.S. Army has confirmed that eVTOL rotors tend to produce more broadband noise, as opposed to the tonal noise characteristic of helicopters.

Furthermore, each eVTOL company is pursuing unique designs, meaning that not all electric aircraft will generate the same level or type of noise.

A Scalable Solution

Whisper Aero is designing its product to be adaptable and applicable across a wide range of aircraft types.

Years in the Making

Moore stated that the concept for the company has been evolving for several years. He and Whisper COO Ian Villa, who previously led strategy and simulation at Elevate, recognized early on that minimizing noise was essential for the successful adoption of air taxis.

“It became very clear that noise mitigation is the most significant obstacle to overcome,” Villa said. “Insufficient attention and resources have been allocated by developers to truly address this challenge.”

The Need for Quieter Aircraft

While helicopters have historically been tolerated due to their infrequent use, companies like Joby Aviation anticipate significantly higher flight volumes. Moore acknowledges that companies like Joby (which acquired Elevate in late 2020) are already developing aircraft that are considerably quieter than helicopters, representing “a positive step forward.”

“The critical question is whether this improvement is substantial enough to facilitate widespread adoption,” Moore stated. “That is precisely what our efforts are focused on.”

Investment and Patents

Whisper Aero is currently withholding specific details regarding its thruster design. The company has successfully secured approximately $7.5 million in investment from firms including Lux Capital, Abstract Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Kindred Ventures, and FootPrint Coalition Ventures, led by Robert Downey Jr. They are also working towards the conversion of their provisional patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the coming year.

Timeline and Future Plans

The startup plans to initially target the small drone market around 2023, with a subsequent expansion to air taxis. Moore anticipates that the thrusters will be manufactured and integrated into vehicles by the end of the decade. If the first generation of eVTOL aircraft launches as planned in 2024 (as proposed by Archer Aviation and Joby), Whisper Aero’s technology could potentially be incorporated into subsequent generations of eVTOL designs.

Testing and Manufacturing Challenges

Whisper Aero will continue conducting tests and addressing remaining technical hurdles, including the challenge of cost-effective manufacturing. In addition to static tests conducted at their Tennessee headquarters, some in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, the company is preparing for dynamic testing in a wind tunnel.

“Our objective is to achieve a noise level that blends seamlessly into the background,” Moore emphasized. “This is our guiding principle and the foundation of the technology we are developing.”