Dragonfly Micro UAV

This project is heavily inspired from nature like many nature-inspired engineering projects. The basic idea is to make a small sized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle modelled on a Dragonfly. Why Dragonfly? Dragonflies are arguably the greatest flying machines in existence,

Project Title

Dragonfly Micro UAV

Project Area of Specialization

Mechanical Engineering

Project Summary

This project is heavily inspired from nature like many nature-inspired engineering projects. The basic idea is to make a small sized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle modelled on a Dragonfly.

Why Dragonfly?

Dragonflies are arguably the greatest flying machines in existence, they are quick, agile, could do maneuvers in split seconds & could accelerate swiftly. 

Practical Advantage:

The UAV based on Dragonfly would have impeccable flight performance since it has the best abilities of both aircrafts & helicopters(by extension Quadcopters). It would have flight maneuveilbilty like a aircraft & stable hovering ability of a helicopter combined. 

Also since it is small sized it could access hard-to-reach possibly critical areas. 

Project Objectives

The main objectives of this project are as under:

• To make a small sized UAV model with best abilities of both aircrafts & helicopters in terms of aerodynamic flight performance while carrying a payload.
• To design a mechanical mechanism that models the behavior of complex dragonfly wing flapping during different flight modes.
• To design the control system in a way that not only powers wing flapping mechanism by adjusting the flapping behavior based on the flight mode, local aerial conditions & commands send by controller but also communicate & transmit information back to controller.
• To equip the model with micro camera linked to control system that could transmit real time imagery & footage back to controller's computer where footage could be analysed with the help of image processing techniques.

Project Implementation Method

The project is derived from new area of research & for that reason the project would build upon the existing research & use them to design a practical model mimicking the flight of a Dragonfly.

The first phase is going to look into research papers and look for relevant information & parameters governing the motion of flight.

Later on, a initial rough design would be made with CAD modeling software like SolidWorks and then analyse it's aerodynamic behavior with a CFD software like ANSYS. The results would then be used to modify the design which in turn would again be simulated with ANSYS. The end result of this iterative process would be aerodynamic design capable of different modes of flight in 3D space with known power requirements.

In the the meanwhile a four bar linkage mechanism for delivering power to wings would be designed. It too would be a iterative process since the mechanism needs to produce the motion in agreement with CFD results.

Lastly, a control system would be designed that would enable the dragonfly to fly based on commands, mode of flight & air conditions. It would also control the power to wings by modulating the voltage to servo motors driving flapping mechanism. Also the model would be equipped with camera that would transmit real time footage back to controller where a Python based image processing program would analyse the footage for desired area of interests.

Benefits of the Project

• It can be used to reach difficult-to-reach regions in Industrial machinery for inspection.
• It, being a nature inspired, UAV can easily be used to gather information to do sensitive military operations without catching much attention from insurgents, kidnappers or enemies.
• Beneficiaries could greatly benefit from this project and can easily adopt it owing it being portable and can give real time information from the targeted area. It could fly into pipes, high temperature areas and leakage points in industrial areas where human reach is difficult.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The technical details of each deliverable are as under:

CFD analysis:

The CFD analysis would be done on CAD model & each flapping mode would be modelled under flow conditions with or without payload. The stability and aerodynamic parameters would be recorded. Necessary modifications would be made to ensure smooth flight performance & by iterative process final model be reached.

Flapping mechanism & control system:

A four bar mechanism(like double slider crank) would be designed that would output the required flapping accelerations & forces in agreement with CFD analysis & alongside a control system mechanism would be made that use data from accelerometer & ultrasonic sensor to measure the motion & height of model and compare them with commands to ensure that model flys in a controlled & intended manner.

Image Processing & electronic components:

A electronic system preferrably a Arduino or some custom embedded system would be used to control flapping behavior. A camera would be placed in head of UAV that with help of transmitter would transmit real-time footage back to PC where a Python image processing code would analyse it for relevant desired information, it could be face recognition or crack detection.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Security

Other Industries

Manufacturing

Core Technology

Robotics

Other Technologies

Artificial Intelligence(AI), 3D/4D Printing

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com