Autonomous Fixed Wing Aircraft
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Project Volaticus is a student-led team at the University of Sheffield for building autonomous aircraft. We compete annually in the IMechE UAS Challenge, an international competition simulating humanitarian aid scenarios with innovation in autonomous control, computer vision, aircraft design and materials.
Membership applications are open in September (Year 1) and June (Years 2-4) for University of Sheffield undergraduate students.
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2022 Concept
This year we are designing and building a flying wing aircraft featuring a bell spanload for improved structural and aerodynamic efficiency. The drone will be built extensively using carbon fibre reinforced plastic and incorporate multiple new sensors to achieve fully autonomous flight capability. The project offers opportunities to develop skills in electronic systems integration, computer vision, composites manufacturing, computer aided manufacturing, aircraft design software and simulation software.
2021
Designed by a decentralised team using only software for testing, this aircraft had a blended wing body design and structurally optimised components. Several components were manufactured using CAM methods with greater precision.
2020
This concept aircraft featured a canard configuration and was expected to be more manoeuvrable compared to the 2019 model. The fuselage and wing structures were built using balsa wood before the project was cancelled.
2019
The first in a series of powered remote controlled aircraft. It featured a pusher propeller configuration and functioning control surfaces, and flew successfully at the IMechE UAS Challenge 2019 despite crashing previously.
Human Powered Flight
Prior to building drones Volaticus built a single seater aircraft propelled by pedalling. The aircraft successfully lifted off the runway for a short period of time.
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