This week, after the proposal presentation I focused on two major fronts; starting the design phase of our project and reviewing and coming up with answers to feedback we got from the presentation. On the design front, I helped the team find options for off-the-shelf components for our antennae perception system, as well as motors for propulsion. These motors ranged from brushed DC motors without speed control to brushless DC motors that need designated speed controllers, like those used on drones. Picking the right propulsion will depend on thrust values, weight, and power draw. Correctly spec’ing the motors will be very important for ensuring our ability to maneuver during “flight”. This involves putting together spreadsheets with those requirements spelt out, especially with regards to weight, as that impacts our drop time. Thrust will be hard to measure as well, without being able to empirically determine how much is needed. Right now I am on schedule, hoping to start pre-tests with antennae and perhaps motors in the coming week. Hopefully be the end of next week we will have preliminary results on the ALFA directional antennae we ordered, and if they will work for our direction-finding system.
Delivery Robot with Otonomous Parachute by Lahari Chilamkurthy, Vikram Bhat, and Daniel Cohen