What can the propeller of an innocent drone cause? It should not be surprising that a rapid spin of any blade can cause serious bodily injuries (even if the blade in question is made of a flexible material such as plastic or carbon).
Researchers at the Drοne Research Laboratory of Aalborg University tried to discover the damage that can be caused by propellers of different drοne on a large piece of pork (which has a similar consistency to human skin and muscle).
We should note that the laboratory conducted the tests on the propellers of drοnes under very specific controlled conditions. In other words, if you try it with the drοne you have at home you will cut your hands.
How do the propellers fall onto the pork when traveling at about 20 mph?
The carbon propeller pierces the pork at the lowest possible speed (carbon fibers are known for their strength), while the plastic propeller struggles a bit upon impact:
Taking into account that the video was shot with a high‑speed camera at 3200 fps, it may seem to you that the drone is not moving very fast. Thus the lab also published a video at normal speed:
Of course it's not the first time someone has conducted tests on drones for possible injuries.
The Mythbusters tested several new drone models last year and concluded that the small and medium drone models are generally safe.
However, the larger drones can occasionally cause real damage:
Naturally, laboratory conditions cannot be fully analogous to real conditions, but these specific studies may ultimately lead to safer propellers that break before serious damage occurs.
