Texas A&M students build 50-pound drone that lifts 110 pounds

A team of Texas A&M aerospace engineering students built a 50-pound drone that carried 110 pounds over four nautical miles at DARPA's first Lift Challenge. Only six of 87 teams completed the course; the flight took 12 minutes.

• Drone lifted 110 pounds, more than twice its own 50-pound weight
• Carbon fiber frame weighs just six pounds without the battery, bonded instead of bolted
• Battery makes up over half the drone's mass and does not lighten during flight
• Prototype cost about $10,000 in materials; five versions built in eight months