Mechanical design and prototyping of a micro UAV

One of the present research focuses within the MechatronicSystems.Group is unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). To this end, a micro-UAV drone is required to facilitate teaching and postgraduate onboarding.

This project will focus on the mechanical elements of the quadcopter, such as the physical structure, component selection, wire routing, and systems integration.

This project will require the student(s) to research, design, construct, and test the micro UAV. This will include:

• Researching current solutions
• Detailed CAD design of the physical structure
• Prototyping and refinement of the platform
• Component selection and cost analysis
• Assembly and preliminary testing of the system

The ideal candidate(s) will have strong CAD and design ability, as well a good grasp integrating embedded systems.

Supervisor: Arnold Pretorius