It All Started From a Dream of Flying…
— How CLEAERO was created in a weird & wild way
By Roger Yang
It was the summer of 2016 when I was driving across the seemingly endless continent of west America, from Rolla, Missouri to Davis, California. I still remember that there’s a small route aside my old Rolla apartment home, named “California”. Never known three years later I’ll actually move to California. It was such a shining name for ordinary people like my neighbors who were smiled openly when they heard that I’m going to move to the so-called golden state. I felt the same, and started to dream my life in California since then… Well, those dreams had nothing to do with the dreams I’ll talk about here, but it did set up an imaginary mood in me from that moment, throughout my long driving to CA and the things happened thereafter.
Though I’ve spent six years in the United States during my PhD period, never had I realize what north America truly was. I thought it just meant some big cities plus lots of small towns and that’s all. Nope, I was wrong.
I drove my 08 Sonata with my wife and daughter on board, plus with five large luggage cases, three on top of the car, tightly tied. The whole journey was totally 2000+ miles and I spent three and half days to finish it, which the first half day was merely from Rolla to Jefferson City within Missouri State. Then, the following three days really changed my mind.
Briefly, I drove across the whole Kansas State from east to west, and from Denver to Salt Lake City via the north route (I-80), then rush through the alkaline flatland, north Nevada, and Tahoe National Forest. This was my very first view of the west world of north America continent. I saw clouds floating like sea on the endless Kansas plain, I woke up with crisp cold air and high mountain view at Denver valley, I was astonished by the whole white world when driving to the west of Salt Lake City, and I did regret to drive the crazy 30-mile down hills in the slippery darkness in the mountain forest near Tahoe… Even after settling down for two months, I was still dreaming vividly about everything I’ve came across on the journey.
What really triggered me deeply, was the vast, untouched wildness across the North America, those far-away straight rainfalls seen directly from the cloud to ground, those grant rocks on top of mountains that appeared up on the sky behind buildings when you walking on Salt Lake City streets, those numerous creaks and hills that cover the north Nevada savage land, as well as those tens of thousands acres dense & humid forest east of California … Though tired and sleepy afterwards, every glimpse on the road leave me tremendous and complex feelings between me, a tiny human being, and the gigantic nature that nakedly spreading out in front of me. This is totally different from looking at Google map views at one’s cozy room, the clear and fresh air and the breathtaking scenery constantly tempted me to jump out of the car right away. I wished I could become a bird or eagle to fly across the mountains and rivers, to fully enjoy these magnificent views of wild America. No, not only me, I hope everyone could have such chance. just like what all the astronauts keep saying, once you’re able to watch the earth from the orbit, everything will be changed in your eyes.
“I wished I could become a bird or eagle to fly across the mountains and rivers, to fully enjoy these magnificent views of wild America.”
It was about couple months after the journey that I found myself constantly day-dreaming of flying, and I just cannot get rid of it from my head, and even start to design some feasible mechanical structures of a flying suit, that could provide sufficient power to lift off and glide at a proper height and speed with safe landing capability, that not only athletes but also normal persons can readily wear it and experience flying. I designed and drew some sketches and searched possible materials that I can purchase to build it, I also asked my friends if they could help draw them in 3D on computer, and help to analyze the aerodynamic feasibility and so on. couple weeks later I realize that it was way more complicated than I thought at beginning, and a handful of big problems need to be cracked down before any actual steps, and each of them could take couple PhDs several years to solve, let along I didn’t know anything about marketing or a solid business plan. Finally, several basic technical challenges that need to be addressed were: power source, effective wing structure and materials, as well as load-bearing component structure.
I spent couple weeks to search the most effective flying animals and found that compared to birds, bats have the most efficient membrane wings to support their flying, thus they have more accurate detail controlling over flying and need less muscle than birds. Also important is that this structure can bear larger body size and heavier load, a good example is the existence of the largest species of bat — flying fox — living among southeast Asia and Oceania. However, to design a flying suit using traditional robotic tools and devices is nearly impossible. Research labs across the U.S. aiming to develop a bat type flying machines are rare and mostly are still at their very early-stage R&D steps (e.g. one of the most respectful researchers in this field is Dr. Sharon Swartz’s Bat Lab at Brown University). Ornithopter developments were conducted in several top research institutes but lack of true understanding of aerodynamic and bionic principles of bat’s flying. No product-level things have been created whatsoever up to date.
I happened to be introduced to Liz while I struggling on how to realize my dream of flying, who was a friend of my friend, and was studying robotics at Harvard University then. I told her my crazy flying idea, gladly she didn’t laugh at it, and showed very much impressive talent and politeness throughout our later chat. Then, I know she is the one, who I could rely on and work together to realize the flying dream.
We break down all the technical issues and see where we could start to work a bit, something special and innovative enough. Together with Allen, Jie, Qingzhi, Chunshan and couple other friends, we started our very first discussions and design as a team. Instead of go for flying directly, we got down to earth and thinking about fundamental platform, materials, techniques, and structures that needed not only for future 3D transportation, but also basic principles for the next generation of robotics and prosthesis. After all, advanced mobility like flying needs solid establishments of simple and slow motion capability, and these are already in urgent needs among most industrial, clinical, logistics as well as social service areas, especially under current global trends of population aging and labor reduction with rising costs…
Well, this is our very first story, and we don’t know where we’ll end, but before that, we’ll keep going with our motto in mind — “Be Elegant, Be Wild”, like those flying creatures up in the sky.
