Modular Drone Capstone
This section showcases the modular drone my group and I designed and built for our senior capstone.
The Idea
When we initially formed the group we wanted to throw all our skills and experience on the table to get an idea of where we could start. We were all experienced in CAD, and shared a passion for RC across combat robotics, RC cars and rock crawlers. Given that many of the components used in combat robotics and RC cars cross over with drones, we decided to go that route. With that, how would we make our drone unique from others in existence or being designed by other capstone groups?
After some research into the drone industry, we saw that not many modular drones had existed bar the super expensive ones for military and large corporation use. Knowing this, we set out to design a modular drone for farm use, fire suppression, surveying, and delivery, through the use of detachable modules for each use case. On top of the modularity we wanted to have the drone allow programmed paths to be uploaded for routine trips watering crops or spraying pesticides before returning to its docking station.
Following this choice, the next step was to choose an archetype of drone besides the standard quadcopter. We considered a VTOL style but came to the conclusion this would make designing the modules more complex to pack into the assembly. We ended up going with a hexacopter as the two extra rotors would provide 50% more thrust for not much added weight
We got to designing, ordered/3D printed the frame, electronics, and other components then brushed up on our flight controller and GPS module knowledge while we waited.
After some research into the drone industry, we saw that not many modular drones had existed bar the super expensive ones for military and large corporation use. Knowing this, we set out to design a modular drone for farm use, fire suppression, surveying, and delivery, through the use of detachable modules for each use case. On top of the modularity we wanted to have the drone allow programmed paths to be uploaded for routine trips watering crops or spraying pesticides before returning to its docking station.
Following this choice, the next step was to choose an archetype of drone besides the standard quadcopter. We considered a VTOL style but came to the conclusion this would make designing the modules more complex to pack into the assembly. We ended up going with a hexacopter as the two extra rotors would provide 50% more thrust for not much added weight
We got to designing, ordered/3D printed the frame, electronics, and other components then brushed up on our flight controller and GPS module knowledge while we waited.
The first module we decided to design was a reservoir for carrying pesticides, fire suppressant, or water for crop irrigation. We found a basic reservoir and pump combo that would be found in cars for windshield sprayers. Once we had the reservoir in hand I bought bar stock aluminum and hardware to create a bracket for holding the module and mounting to the gimbal. It was as simple as attaching the reservoir, running the tubing down 2 arms, and mounting the spray nozzles to the end.
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After building the frame, attaching the servo driven FPV camera, and wiring then programming the electronics, we took it for a test flight! We discovered some issues with frame rigidity causing the arms to vibrate and destabilize the flight. We designed some structural beams to the arms which seemed to solve that problem. Additionally we swapped to slightly larger diameter propellers for improved thrust and maneuverability. With the drone flying, we then tested the actuation of the servo mounted FPV camera and spray nozzles which both functioned on the first try.
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At our capstone presentation there were 4-5 other drone projects from other groups. Each had their own unique take but ours ended up being the only one able to actually fly and operate as intended in flight which was a nice way to end our fun project.
