Graham Smith

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are useful for search and rescue, forest fire tracking, agricultural monitoring, and many other applications. In order for these UAVs to be used in remote locations, they need to be able to recharge, take off, and land autonomously. When the battery is low, the UAV would independently land at a recharging station. This has been done before, but only with quadcopters, which do not have very long flight time. 

In order to increase the flight time, I will make a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV that can land autonomously. These designs are more efficient than quadcopters. There are many potential types of VTOL designs that I am considering, and all the designs have various practical problems. For example, in heavy wind conditions, a UAV needs to have very little vertical surface area so that it does not get pushed around. Choosing and optimizing the design of the UAV is an important part of the project. Another way that I am going to try to optimize the UAV system is by minimizing charging time relative to time in the air. I will accomplish this by decreasing the charging time. There are two methods of charging that have been investigated: wired and wireless charging. Wireless charging is less prone to weather damage but charges significantly slower. On the other hand, wired charging is faster but more prone to damage from the environment. Since both methods have various pros and cons, more optimization is needed to reduce the overall charging time. 

Lastly, I have to figure out how to store the UAV in inclement weather. I plan on having the base station close to the aircraft when not in use. Additional modifications are necessary, such as a windshield and waterproofing the electronics. To keep the base station powered, I am going to connect it to a solar array and backup batteries so it is completely self-sustaining. This way the base station and planes can be placed anywhere from urban areas to rainforests.