Micro Air Vehicle Platform Design
Faculty Mentor Name
Akhan Almagambetov, William Crisler
Format Preference
Poster Presentation and Demonstration
Abstract
The majority of small scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) are made using very high performance, high cost materials, such as carbon fiber or other composite matter, typically shaped into very unconventional shapes and structures. While the use of these materials helps the airframe's structural stability and performance, the cost to buy, shape or machine such materials is extremely high. The focus of this project is to use consumer grade materials and technology to design and build an autonomous micro air vehicle that can functionally compete with military grade systems, while still coming under budget compared to the average budget of a typical military grade drone. Our mission objectives include autonomous take-off and landing, waypoint navigation, collection and transmittal of data from IR & HD camera systems to the ground control module, perform minute stability control adjustments, basic flight maneuvers, and stay in the air for at least 1 hour. The first phase of our project was testing different airframes and airfoils to get a feel for their flight characteristics. Our most current prototype is a fixed flying airframe, remotely controlled by a UAS operator. Our aircraft is made mostly out of EXPS foam, with an EPP foam nose to provide impact resistance. We reinforced the leading edges of the aircraft with drywall tape and epoxy to provide a ruggedized structure. In addition, our UAV gets approximately 45 minutes of flight time at half throttle. Steps are being taken to implement a Lisa/S autopilot system for phase two of our project.
Poster Presentation and Demonstration
IGNITE Grant Award
Location
AC1-Atrium, Eagle Gym
Start Date
3-23-2018 11:00 AM
End Date
3-23-2018 9:00 PM
Micro Air Vehicle Platform Design
AC1-Atrium, Eagle Gym
The majority of small scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) are made using very high performance, high cost materials, such as carbon fiber or other composite matter, typically shaped into very unconventional shapes and structures. While the use of these materials helps the airframe's structural stability and performance, the cost to buy, shape or machine such materials is extremely high. The focus of this project is to use consumer grade materials and technology to design and build an autonomous micro air vehicle that can functionally compete with military grade systems, while still coming under budget compared to the average budget of a typical military grade drone. Our mission objectives include autonomous take-off and landing, waypoint navigation, collection and transmittal of data from IR & HD camera systems to the ground control module, perform minute stability control adjustments, basic flight maneuvers, and stay in the air for at least 1 hour. The first phase of our project was testing different airframes and airfoils to get a feel for their flight characteristics. Our most current prototype is a fixed flying airframe, remotely controlled by a UAS operator. Our aircraft is made mostly out of EXPS foam, with an EPP foam nose to provide impact resistance. We reinforced the leading edges of the aircraft with drywall tape and epoxy to provide a ruggedized structure. In addition, our UAV gets approximately 45 minutes of flight time at half throttle. Steps are being taken to implement a Lisa/S autopilot system for phase two of our project.
Poster Presentation and Demonstration
IGNITE Grant Award