e-Volo 18-Rotor Volocopter

This is the battery-powered VC200 “volocopter,” a state-of-the-art helicopter prototype by engineers at German start-up e-volo. From Smithsonian Mag: 

In the coming year, engineers will continue working on the prototype, which the company boasts will be lighter, safer, quieter and greener than any other helicopter in the world.

That’s because a traditional helicopter uses one rotor to provide lift and a tail rotor to prevent the aircraft from spinning in circles. It maneuvers by changing the pitch of the two rotors. The volocopter has 18 small rotors mounted in a configuration that provides lift without causing the vehicle to spin. It navigates by changing the speed of individual rotors.

e-volo also invented this previously-featured, e-powered multicopter. Related watching: more helicopters, including human-powered ones.