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University of California, San Diego
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MAE 156B: Senior Design Project
Julia Lee, Eric Limonadi, Bridget McNamara, Cindy Tran
Sponsored by Dr. Jooil Kim, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Project Overview
Background
This project is sponsored by Dr. Jooil Kim, a research scientist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Keeling and Weiss Labs and NASA's Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (NASA AGAGE). These labs monitor atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases to better understand drivers of climate change and air pollution. Since wind speed and direction directly affect the dispersion of atmospheric particles, measuring these factors helps map pollutant concentrations across locations.
Currently, weather balloons and air sampling towers collect atmospheric data, but they are costly, require significant infrastructure, and offer lower resolution at low altitudes. Using a drone provides a more flexible, cost-effective way to gather high-resolution data near the surface, allowing precise sampling based on wind, temperature, and humidity.
Dr. Kim’s focus is on quantifying methane movement in San Diego by creating detailed vertical profiles. A drone can hover to collect higher-resolution data than weather balloons and target specific locations. The project goal was to design a mount for a Licor Trisonica Li-550f Mini 3D Ultrasonic Anemometer on a DJI M300 RTK drone, integrate it with an existing sensor suite, and enable live data transmission to a ground computer while logging locally for later analysis.
Scripps Anemometer Drone
Dr. Jooil Kim
Objectives
Objectives
Collect accurate wind speed and direction measurements, undisturbed by the drone’s propellers
Create an easily replicable structure and make the design open-source (public and reproducible in SIO Makerspace)
Configure local data logging, live data display, and wireless communication
Make the system easy to deploy and set up in the field (quick assembly and data collection procedures)
Final Design Overview
Final Design Overview
The final design consists of three systems:
Mount Structure
Electronics
Data Acquisition & Transmission
The mount and electronics enclosure are entirely self-contained and can be easily assembled and disassembled with minimal tools required.
The electronics system successfully collects data and transmits it to a computer for live viewing and graphing.
Narrative Video
Narrative Video
Final Design Demonstration
Final Presentation
Poster
Final Poster.pdfPage updated
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