Shift Compson (concept design)
This Is Engineering Inc. (TIE)
Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
www.aam.thisiseng.com
This Is Engineering Inc. (TIE) was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The company is in the business of making electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company has also designed and manufactured sold consumer drones in South Korea, China, Europe, India, Singapore and the United States. The South Korea government added the company to the list of high-potential start-ups eligible for up to ₩10 billion won (KRW) in loans with favorable interest rates and conditions. In 2021, This Is Engineering secured ₩12 billion (KRW) ($10 million USD) in investment from financial institutions including SBI Investment, the Korea Development Bank and KB Investment.
The company’s small drones are under the brand of Shift Red and their drones are differentiated from their competitor’s drones because the controller has a small thumb ring that allows users to fly the drone using one hand. The company is now expanding the drone business by entering the drone delivery business and is in discussion with retailers in Korea and overseas. The company’s goal is to revolutionize the mobility industry with its fully autonomous eVTOL technologies which encompass flight control, computer vision and machine learning.
Shift Compson passenger eVTOL multicopter concept design aircraft
The Shift Compson is an autonomous two passenger eVTOL concept design aircraft. The autonomous piloting according to the company is for safer flights and to also make more room for passengers and their luggage. On March 17, 2022, the company posted a computer graphic of the Shift Compson concept design aircraft on their Facebook page.
The estimated maximum cruise speed for the aircraft is 270 km/h (168 mph) and the predicted range is 220 km (137 miles). The aircraft has 16 propellers, 16 electric motors and is powered by battery packs. At the end of each vertical boom, is a propeller assembly hold four propellers. The booms on the concept design aircraft are smaller in size than their prototype aircraft that was revealed in February 2024. The company uses what they call a Self-Tilting Axis Control (STAC) which provides good hovering, efficient cruise speed and the ability to navigate around tight corners. Part of the boom is a wing structure which helps with lift during forward flight and increases the range of the multicopter aircraft.
The aircraft is made from carbon fiber composite for a high strength and low weight ratio. The cabin has panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left, right and top visibility for spectacular views for the passengers. The aircraft has fixed quadricycle strut landing gear.
Safety is a top priority by the company has uses integrated systems of high performance cameras, sensors, and full autonomy consisted of obstacle pre-detection and avoidance software, and intelligent flight controls. The eVTOL aircraft also has landing site recognition and automatic landing with pinpoint accuracy, made possible by intelligent flight controls coupled with downward-facing cameras.
For flight route safety, the technology includes connectivity maintained using quadruple network redundancies with Global Positioning System (GPS), Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), Point-To-Multipoint (PTMP) and 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) data transmission, leading to reliable, safe and stable layers of mesh networks. Using all these advanced technologies result in a very high safety margin, efficient performance throughout any flight, a quiet and comfortable ride, and high resistance against sudden wind gusts.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL full scale prototype
- Piloting: Autonomous piloting
- Capacity: 2 passenger plus extra room for luggage
- Maximum cruise speed: 270 km/h (168 mph)
- Range: 220 km (137 miles)
- Maximum payload weight: Unknown
- Propellers: 16 propellers
- Electric motors: 16 electric motors
- Power source: Battery packs
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
- Wings: 1 high main stub wing
- Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
- Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. There is also a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.
Related Aircraft:
- This Is Engineering Shift Compson (prototype)
- This Is Engineering Shift Compson Wing (concept design)
Company Insights:
Resources:
- This Is Engineering website
- This Is Engineering Facebook
- This Is Engineering/Shift Facebook
- This Is Engineering/Shift YouTube Channel
- This Is Engineering/Shift Instagram
- This Is Engineering LinkedIn
- Article: [Game Changer] Flying car pioneer builds on childhood love of mechanics, Korea JoongAng Daily, Dec. 4, 2021
- Article: This Is Engineering selected as a participant in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘Drone Demonstration City’ project, View Asiae, Mar. 17, 2022
- Video: Introducing Shift Compson, Defining Innovation, Shift, Jul 4, 2023
- Article: South Korea’s TIE Unveils eVTOL Prototype, Aviation Week, Feb. 2, 2024
- Article: TIE Announces Final Assembly Stage of Innovative ‘SHIFT Compson’ eVTOL Aircraft, Wow Tale, Jan. 31, 2024
