MIE.01 – Buoyant Robot
Team Members Heading link
- John Christopher Alegre
- Shoaib Arshad
- Aldo Gomez
- Hector Padilla
- Osvaldo Vazquez Gomez
Project Description Heading link
Drones can improve productivity in a warehouse environment because they provide aerial transportation for the packages and do not disturb the lower floors of operation. They are also a quick method of transporting packages, can operate autonomously and provide a safer alternative for employees in a dangerous environment. The amount of energy necessary to sustain flight is proportional to the weight of the object, which puts it in direct conflict with energy efficient transportation. The goal of this project is to demonstrate a functional semi-buoyant drone that can manipulate and transport a package for the UIC Robotics and Motion Laboratory. Our team analyzed different mechanisms for object manipulation and aerial vehicle designs. We created and tested different grabbing mechanism and settled on a clamping design. A customed frame was designed in order to incorporate buoyancy and our mechanism into the drone. A simulation will be performed in order to analyze any forces that could compromise the frame as well as get a safety factor. Buoyant force calculations were done in order to choose a suitable balloon to compensate for the weight of the drone.