NASA aerospace engineer Mark Moore says a key objective with Samarai is to achieve propulsion redundancy all the way out to the tips of the prop-rotors. One way this is achieved is by using short-range laser scanners at each corner of the vehicle to watch for potential blade strikes and quickly stop the affected prop-rotor before impact.

He says a test rig was built that showed electric motors can be stopped in any position "incredibly quickly", especially given each single-blade rotor's small size and low weight. The result is a compact configuration, although there is some wasted rotor thrust from download on the wings, Moore says.