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Engg. students to create unmanned aerial vehicle
DUBAI — Eight students from Bits Pilani, Dubai, have set out to create a unique robot as part of an international robotics competition. The students, all from engineering fields, are attempting to build one of the most advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that can navigate through a series of mazes without collision while managing to return with valuable intelligence.
Weighing less than 1.5 kg, the creation is designed to compete at the International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC) scheduled to begin in August 2011 in USA.
Saurabh Ladha, team leader for the project says the design is the ‘collective work’ of students who are passionate about engineering. “It’s the first project of its kind in the UAE and we are confident of completing it in the given time of eight months,” says Ladha, who is an electronics and communication engineering student at BITS Pilani Dubai.
Fusing students’ ideas from aerospace, electronics, programming and mechanical engineering, Ladha set out to make the project a reality last year in November, when he created a team of students who would make the project a reality.
Working on initial designs and prototypes, the team sourced an aerial platform from a German engineering firm and began work on customising the platform.
Once customised, the aerial vehicle will be able to search a target area while avoiding obstacles such as walls, columns, and furniture and return with a pen drive from the area.
“It is such an advanced design where the robot remains undetected and passes through laser rooms and CCTV surveillance areas,” says Ladha.
Spending extra-hours after university classes, the students are working over-time to complete the project within the deadline.
“It is always a tough task to complete engineering feats in a limited time and I believe such projects really bring out cutting-edge ideas in the student community. The challenge for us remains to complete the project within the deadline and the team is pushing itself to the limits,” says Ladha.
“We spend six hours a day on the project and I am confident the team will able to code all algorithms related to guidance, navigation and control in time,” said Ladha.
The students presented their designs at the recently concluded BITS Global Meet in Delhi where the design was unveiled for the first time to industry experts and mentors.
“We had a very positive feedback when we present the prototype and it has really motivated the team to do the best for the project,” he adds.
Currently in the software development and testing phase, the team is testing the robot’s ability to navigate in a closed environment. The completed design will be presented to a panel of judges at the IARC competition in North Dakota as it will be put to test against other student creations from around the world.
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