Projects
Optimized Fixed-Pitch Folding Drone Propeller
The aim of the project was to develop and test a fixed-pitch propeller for a small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), otherwise known as drones, that would provide and increase in flight time with no payload while also increasing the total payload capabilities of the aircraft.
- Diameter 5.5 inches
- Pitch 2.5 inches
- Material SLA Resin
- Efficiency Increase 10.2 %
- Max Thrust 212 g
- Design Iteration V3.4
Currently, commercially available drone propellers, below 6" in diameter have one of two key drawbacks. The first subsection of propellers in this size range are used on very low-cost consumer drones, used for casual indoor flying with limited flight time and often no payload capabilities. The low cost and low required performance of these drones means that the propellers used are unoptimised, inefficient, and flimsy, making them an undesirable choice. The second subsection of propellers in this diameter range are designed for First-Person-View (FPV) drones. These propellers are designed to provide very large amounts of thrust with quick reaction times for extreme flight maneuvers such as dives, rolls, and flips. The consequence of these optimizations is that for general use flying, hovering, slow maneuvers and carrying payloads, the efficiency of these propellers is also quite low. This project was an attempt to design a propeller geometry that improves the overall propulsive efficiency of a drone through the use of computer modeling and optimization, feedback from experimental results, and an iterative design approach.
Autonomous Drone Cargo Pod Pickup/Drop-off | The DROPS Project
The Drone Recharging Operational Payload System (DROPS), is a novel docking system that standardizes autonomous drone cargo delivery for military and commercial applications.
- Cargo space 1 jerry can or 4 medium pizzas
- Drone recharging rate 5.02 kW
- Largest 3D printed component 45 cm x 45 cm x 13.5 cm
- Truss structure 6061-T6
- Sensors GPS, ultrasonic, voltage, latch positions
- Alignment max offset +/- 10 cm horizontally, +/- 15 degrees yaw
The DROP system permits Class 2 UAV to align, connect, transport, and disconnect from a cargo pod. A key feature of the system is the slot-slopes alignment mechanism that enables the latching system between drone and cargo pod to successfully interconnect. The slot-slopes alignment mechanism consists of two nesting trapezoidal prisms which have been fabricated with the use of FDM printing, and allow the UAV to shift and translate to successfully align with the cargo pod before touching down.
1/3 Scale Alta 8 Drone
While building scale models of manned aircraft is common, the Alta 8 Mini is an accurate, flyable model of the Freefly Alta 8 heavy-lift UAV. I built this model from scratch using references/images found on the internet of the Alta, with most of the components made from 3D printed PLA.
- Payload GoPro Session + Movi Mini
- Thrust-to-weight Ratio 1.85
- Motors EMAX 1106 ii 4500 Kv
- Battery 850 mAh 3S Lipo
- Booms/Arms Foldable
- Flight Controller SP Racing F3
Resume
Education
B.S. | Aerospace Engineering Sciences
2018 - 2022
University of Colorado Boulder, CO
Autonomous UAV Cargo Pickup | Senior Project
Lead Engineer
Fall 2021 - Spring 2022
Lead engineer/Systems engineer responsible for designing and fabricating an autonomous ‘cargo pod’ delivery/pickup mechanism for use with Class II U.S. Army UAVs.
- Designed >90% of the projects CAD, with a preliminary patent filled on the design
CU Sounding Rocket Lab
Vehicle Engineer
2018 - 2022
Involved with student-lead team developing high-power sounding rockets and composite rocket propulsion
- Composite manufacturing experience on nose cones, fuselage, and fins for size M-R impulse rockets
- Designed and integrated onboard camera systems across a multiple supersonic launch vehicles
- Fabricated internal structures for avionics, electrical systems, ejection charges, and parachutes
Freefly Systems
Test Engineer Internship
Summer 2020 and 2021
Engineering team member developing integrated industrial UAV system (Astro). Direct contributions include:
- Managed a fleet of DV/PV aircraft and multiple flight test sprints
- Discovered and tracked issues across the entire flight envelope and in all vehicle configurations/flight modes.
- Proposed and validated software and hardware fixes through ground and flight testing
- Fabricated and executed test plans to push the limits of the Skynode flight controller, Auterion Suite, pilot handset, RF link, smart batteries, gimbal/camera system, and mechanical structure
- Performed integration of 10 EV aircraft, completing final assembly > 60% of the aircraft’s chassis, propulsion system, and avionic components, while creating/optimising production work instructions
- BMS ‘Smart battery’ testing in extreme weather/flight conditions
- Prototype component and test fixture fabrication - CNC composites, Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing, PCB soldering/reworks
- Experience flying aircraft prototypes in quad, hexa, and octo configurations with unique payloads