Joining the UIC Institute for Advanced Study in 2023, Prof Shan Xiaowen is an expert in aviation and aerospace. His research covers a wide range of areas, and is now focusing on the design and manufacture of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft.
Prof Shan Xiaowen on UTalk
One of the eVTOLs designed by his team is an electrical aircraft whose tailsitter can offer vertical take-off and landing. Compared with multirotor vehicles, it has a greater capability to fly farther and into stronger winds with less energy consumption. "Its advantage is that it can fly farther faster," Prof Shan explained. "It can fly more than 200 kilometres, reaching more than 100 kilometres per hour."
With impressive improvements and innovations, the team have obtained more than 30 core patents. Currently, the aircraft has received support from the China Aviation Industry, and is expected to be unveiled at the Airshow China in Zhuhai.
Prof Shan Xiaowen holds an eVTOL model
Catching the wind of the low-altitude economy, he believes the eVTOL has a promising future. "It can be used in various scenarios, especially in emergency transport," he said, citing a few examples, "such as human organ transplants and forest fire prevention; it can play an important role."
Illustration of an eVOLT designed by Prof Xiao's team
Prof Shan did not start his academic life with research on light aircraft. Reflecting back, he received his BS and MS degrees from the Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science at Peking University, and went on to Dartmouth College in the US, where he completed his PhD within three years.
With pioneering research in the Lattice Boltzmann model and more than 20 years of work experience in global technology institutions, he is determined to dedicate himself to the development of China's aerospace industry.
He said he did not start looking into light aircraft until 2016, and found out that the shrinking size of an aircraft did not lower the research barriers. Even more challenging, the use of electricity as a power source for the light aircraft places greater demands on the overall design, while at the same time driving the search for new materials.
Scaled sample of the eVOLT
As the airshow is about to open, he points out that the islands of Zhuhai are a natural testing ground for drones, particularly in wind resistance research. He also adds that the Greater Bay Area is a fertile field for the growth of the low-altitude economy. "The supply chain here in the drone field is probably the best nationwide with various supporting industries and logistics efficiency," he said.
Prof Shan Xiaowen gives a lecture in the Huitong Village
In the future, he believes that the low-altitude economy will become a new growth point for the GBA as market demand grows and laws and regulations related to the industry and airspace management improve.
From MPRO
Reporter: Cecilia Yu
Videographer: Owen Li
Photographer: Hanna He
Editor: Deen He
