Low-cost approaches to UAV design using advanced manufacturing techniques

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms are of major interest to Defense, Government, and commercial industries. The ability to remotely control an aerial vehicle capable of surveillance, offensive and defensive maneuvering, reconnaissance, or numerous other applications without the need to put a human life in jeopardy is a major attraction to their use. Furthermore, there exists opportunities to make these airborne vehicles largely autonomous, further reducing the need for even remote human operators. However, for all of the significant advantages of UAVs, there is a significant negative: the cost of manufacture, and the cost of design. Due in part to the substantial amount of complex electronic equipment on board, UAVs become not only a design of aeronautics, but an experiment in energy conservation through optimization. A limited range of UAV power becomes a limiting factor of UAV application. The challenge becomes to optimize the size, weight, and aerodynamics of the UAV based on the application. Along with a NASA faculty research grant, the project has been given seven college engineering students with the singular goal of investigating UAV design techniques using advanced manufacturing techniques and STEM principles. In this paper, it will be shown how a college manufacturing lab, paired with a team of student engineers, and guided by an engineering faculty member, will seek to provide tangible, industry-quality results.