Bartini VTOL

The Russian startup, VTOL developer Bartini, founded in 2017, encharged Italdesign to design the passenger compartment and glass surfaces of its aircraft capable of performing vertical take-off and landing in a fully electric mode.

“With our Pop.Up project, we had tasked ourselves with the creation of a city car to be coupled with a drone”, explains Fiorenzo Piracci, Italdesign Industrial Design Business Developer. “For Bartini VTOL we have addressed the supercars segment. As matter of fact, it features a sports-car like really tapered silhouette surrounded by four propulsors, each of which has two electric motors, at its furthest points. It has been decidedly challenging for designing comfortable interiors. At the beginning, our design team has followed two different directions: the first layout was strongly inspired by the automotive world, whereas the second was conceived more as a creative, modern, and inspiring lounge area. In the end, we have opted for a third solution, which is the happy medium between the first two: a very airy, luxury and high-tech environment.”

The VTOL’s interior presents four armchairs oriented in the same direction, divided by a central tunnel containing the battery pack and featuring a sidestick at the front for a manual control of the aircraft. The wrapping and big glass panels guarantee plenty of light on board and allow passengers to enjoy an excellent view during flight. However, very innovatively from a User Experience standpoint, the door panels are active: they can convert into screens and project different information about the countryside and panorama below so to make the journey even more interesting and involving.

The whole project was developed virtually, using 3D and augmented reality.