Using multirotor drones in engineering of systems curricula

Abstract

This paper describes the usage of multirotor drones to support a sequence of systems engineering courses at the Naval Postgraduate School. These courses, Engineering Systems Conceptualization, Engineering Systems Design, and Engineering Systems Implementation & Operation, allow students to apply their knowledge and engineering skills to design future missions involving unmanned aerial systems, build and test a prototype drone to support these missions, and eventually demonstrate a mission execution in computer simulations and/or controlled environment indoors or outdoors. The paper provides some examples of following this process and designing the mission and unmanned system(s) to support it.