2004

2004 Team

The fall of 2003 was when the UAV team really developed. The team was fortunate enough to get a Mechanical Engineering senior design team to work on the project. The team brought some management and motivation to the team. The team quickly realized that a small venture was not going to make for a effective UAV at competition. After some further research, the team decided that the larger Bergen Industrial Twin helicopter would be a much better platform for the UAV. The team decided to purchase the Rotomotion autopilot rather than spending the time to develop their own. The team also decided that the 4 rotor sub-vehicle would be the best choice because of its ability to enter and maneuver through the building. The flying vehicle also has the ability to get a better perspective of the target data.

After many setbacks and a crash, the team was able to develop an autonomous helicopter capable of flying waypoints and recording video. The team was able to develop a prototype of the 4 rotor sub-vehicle. When the team went to competition for the first time in the summer of 2004, they made a very good showing. Although the team had not completed stage 1, they believed it would be possible during the competition. Things were set back again when the team crashed during the practice day at the competition. Despite the crash the team was able to rebuild the helicopter using a backup airframe and fly the next day. They showed ability to fly waypoints autonomously, but they were unsuccessful at completing the first stage of the competition. The team did however walk away with 1 st in Elegance of Design and Air Vehicle Innovation. The team also got honorable mention for the Air Vehicle, the presentation and the T-shirts. The team also walked away with a great experience from a year of hard work and a very tough competition.

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