Modular Multirole Drone
Designed and Built by Radman Zarbock
Elevator Pitch.mp4~30 Second Elevator Pitch
What is the Modular Multirole Drone?
Drones are already being used for videography, and several companies are developing drones to be used for package delivery. But why stop there?
Instead of designing a drone for one specific task, the Modular Multirole Drone is designed to be used for any task - from package delivery to search-and-rescue to small-scale firefighting, and more!
All of the drone's parts are interchangeable, and nothing is affixed permanently - the parts use a slotting mechanism to fit together and the configuration is held together using a few threaded bolts and nuts.
Need longer landing legs? Room for more batteries? Already taken care of. And the drone's role can be changed at a moment's notice by swapping out modular attachments that bolt into the bottom of the drone.
Currently, the package delivery attachment has been built and installed.
Several other attachments are still in development, including one that will use image recognition to allow the drone to pick up packages autonomously.
Radman Z Final Design Faire Poster.pdfFlight Demo
Modular Multirole Drone Demonstration 1.mp4This is the best flight the drone has had so far. A box was attached to the bottom of the drone to simulate the presence of a package.
Package Delivery Demo
Release Mechanism Demonstration 1.mp4In this video, the drone drops off a 0.5kg package using the package delivery attachment.
Design Process
Before commencing work on the drone, two proof-of concept projects were conducted to develop and test the technology that would be used on the drone:
Drone Arm V1
CSA Project Demonstration.mp4This is a demonstration video for Drone Arm V1. The goal of this project was to design a propeller-driven arm that could raise itself to hover at any angle and stay there.
Drone Arm V2
Drone Arm V2 was designed for the same purpose as Drone Arm V1, but this time, the arm had propellers on both sides of its fulcrum and the control variable data was obtained using an image recognition sensor.
After the success of both proof-of-concept projects, work on the drone itself began:
Computer Aided Design
The drone's frame was designed using OnShape, an online CAD program. There are 52 individual pieces (16 unique parts) in this assembly.
Template of Parts for Laser Cutting
The digitally designed parts were sent to Adobe Illustrator in a PDF so that they could be prepared for laser cutting.
Cardboard Prototype Assembly
The parts were first cut out of cardboard to ensure they would fit together just as well physically as they did digitally.
Finished Cardboard Prototype
While the cardboard prototype was never meant to fly, the structural configuration proved strong enough for this prototype to take to the skies several times.
Laser-Cut Plywood Parts
The drone's parts were laser-cut out of plywood, which provides decent structural strength at a low weight and cost.
Assembling the Drone
All of the individual parts slot together and hold each other in place. There is no need for glue or any other permanent fasteners.
Final Product and Future Directions
Modular Multirole Drone
This is the "finished" Modular Multirole Drone. For the foreseeable future, there may be minor improvements made to the mechanical design, but no entirely new prototypes (at least not any time soon). The plywood frame has proven to be more than satisfactory, and it can withstand a good amount of damage before breaking. However, new modular attachments will be made (and are currently in development), allowing the drone to perform a larger variety of tasks.
Going Forward: Image Recognition Demo and More Modular Attachments
Pixy Angle Recognition Test.mp4This is a demonstration of the image recognition technology used on Drone Arm V2. A PixyCam (image recognition sensor) can recognize a color code (two adjacent colored boxes) and export the color code's orientation data to the Arduino.
This image recognition sensor will also be used on the drone's next modular attachment (a robust docking mechanism with both pick-up and drop-off capabilities) to enable the drone to autonomously pick up packages marked with color codes as well as drop them off.
About the Inventor
I'm Radman Zarbock, a member of Athenian's Class of 2021, and of Purdue University's Class of 2025.
I decided to build the Modular Multirole Drone as I wanted to create a "one stop shop" drone that could do everything I always hoped a drone could do, and many things anyone else might need a drone to do. Thanks to the drone's modular attachment system, the possibilities are endless. From delivering packages, navigating terrain, and assisting search-and-rescue efforts to helping extinguish fires in hard-to-reach places or even launching other aerial vehicles (such as flying wings) if adequate space for a ground-based launch is unavailable, the attachment system allows for this drone to be adapted and used for almost any task.
I will be studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Purdue, and as an Aerospace Engineer, I hope to work on developing the next generation of rocket propulsion systems. Thank you for your interest in my senior year engineering project.
Disclaimer: this project was conducted while I was a student of the Athenian school. At the time of publishing, I am an enrolled student of Purdue University but I have not yet begun my studies at the University. Thus, I do NOT represent Purdue University, and the work showcased here is NOT affiliated with the University.