In the ever-evolving landscape of transportation, startup company Zuri is taking to the skies with its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Designed for individual regional transportation, Zuri’s aircraft aims to eliminate the frustrations associated with conventional travel methods. The VTOL eliminates the need to travel to and from airports and promises on-demand transportation between any two cities.

Zuri’s VTOL utilizes a hybrid powertrain, combining batteries with standard fuel (preferably Sustainable Aviation Fuel) to achieve five times the energy of a 100 percent battery-powered flight. With a range of 700 km, this aircraft aims to transform the way we travel.

Founded by Michal Illich, Zuri was born out of the need to address the inefficiencies Illich experienced during his global travels. “You can fly from anywhere to anywhere; you just need a helipad. You don’t need a runway, so you can avoid large airports,” says Illich.

Michal Illich stands with a flying model of Zuri’s VTOL aircraft. (Image courtesy of Zuri).

Overcoming Technical Challenges

Zuri’s engineering team has faced numerous technical challenges, particularly in the transition between vertical and horizontal flight. The technical team consists of two control engineers and four design engineers, all of whom have leveraged tools from MathWorks to overcome these hurdles.

A Zuri VTOL model flies through the air. (Image courtesy of Zuri).

“We started using MATLAB and Simulink together with the TI C2000 development kit. The previous control system was built on iNav, which did not provide sufficient freedom compared to using Simulink-generated code together with the TI board,” explains Marek Jaluvka, developer at Zuri.

Using MATLAB has been instrumental in data processing and plotting. “Data processing and plotting or report generation is definitely more productive in MATLAB. The scripting allows for quick application of developed post-processing to different sets of data,” notes Jaluvka. This capability has enabled the team to quickly iterate on their designs, ensuring that their models are as accurate as possible.

Simulink has also played a crucial role in modeling the aircraft’s control system. “When we develop the model in Simulink, we can run it in a mode that allows us to see a couple of selected variables in real-time. We use this for quick debugging,” says Jaluvka. “This real-time debugging capability has been vital in refining the control loops and various models that make up the aircraft’s control system.”

The Right Support

The support provided by MathWorks and their distributor, Humusoft, has been invaluable to Zuri. Humusoft, which has been supporting MathWorks customers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1992, offers a comprehensive range of services to startups.

“Our Startup customers are mostly active in advanced technology areas,” says Jan Danek, managing director at Humusoft. “It takes a lot of skill, effort, and time to complete a finished ‘Minimum Viable Product’ that can hit the market.”

“Zuri has a team of talented engineers,” continues Danek. “Our tools and support help them to accelerate development work. They can scale their teams’ design capabilities by using software products that contain many man-years of know-how in their respective application areas. “

MathWorks supports Zuri through the Startup Program, in which early-stage companies like Zuri have access to industry trusted tools at a low-cost. The MATLAB and Simulink Suite gives startups 100+ tools so they can quickly get started on their development. “It is nice that every time we need a special function implemented within some of the packages, we can just use it. Otherwise, we would need to decide whether we take some online implementation and validate it or create our own implementation, which is time-consuming,” shares Jaluvka. When time and money are both essential, but limited resources for startups, this support is vital.

The additional avenues of support offered by MathWorks have also been a game-changer. “The Startup program has been expanded and now offers comprehensive support,” says a Humusoft representative. This includes access to online training courses, guidance from technical experts, and a clear roadmap to maturity, ensuring that startups like Zuri can focus on innovation and development.

The support extends beyond technical assistance, providing startups with networking opportunities and exposure to potential partners. Humusoft supports startups by helping to promote their companies through their job openings and at events and on social media.

Getting Ready to Take Off

Zuri is currently developing smaller-scale versions of its VTOL to test and prove its design. They recently completed hover, roll, and pitch tests with their scaled-down drone.  “The control system executed these maneuvers with ease,” Jaluvka reports. While Zuri is working to get its full-size product to market, the use of MathWorks tools has already shown significant business benefits. “MATLAB allows us to implement our ideas relatively quickly. For example, as a part of mathematical modeling efforts, we attached our latest drone to a van via a six-axis force-torque sensor and dragged it across a runway. Our main goal was to study equilibrium (trim) states for a set of velocities and configurations to map out the transition process. To achieve the equilibrium states quickly and automatically during the drive, we modified our flight control system in Simulink to control the aircraft based on the force torque data which were read and sent using MATLAB,” explains Jaluvka.

Zuri’s use of MathWorks tools, combined with the support from Humusoft, has enabled the startup to overcome significant technical challenges and accelerate its development process. As they continue to refine their vertical take-off aircraft, the future of regional transportation looks more than promising.

See Zuri’s prototype in action during their first flight milestone: