SOAAR UAV Design Competition

Small Object Avoidance Autonomous Rescue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have garnered an outstanding amount of attention both in government and civilian use in recent years. Large companies, most notably Amazon, plan to utilize Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to deliver goods to customers in a quicker and more cost effective manner while the government is considering UAVs for border patrol, search and rescue mission, and many other applications. However, in order to capitalize on UAV potential reliable and robust autonomous UAVs must be readily available. It is this leap in technology that the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) aims to impact with the 15th annual Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) competition. The competition requires the development of an autonomous UAV that is capable of autonomous takeoff and landing, securing waypoints, traveling between waypoints autonomously, avoiding stationary and dynamic objects, detecting and classifying targets, and delivering a payload undamaged.
Last year the senior design team designed and developed the UAV structure, propulsion system, and flight control system. The UAV has been deemed feasible and the present team will upgrade the electronics and sensor package, develop a target detection program, develop an object avoidance program, implement a payload delivery system, and integrate all systems.

Motivation

The Team

Devin Justice

Devin Justice

Devin has extensive research experience at the High-Performance Materials Institute (HPMI) under Dr. Richard Liang. He is currently working on multiple research projects focused on carbon nanotube alignment methods to enhance mechanical and electrical properties in support of multi functional aerospace structures . Devin has interned with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and will be starting full time in the Advanced Structures department upon graduation. He enjoys sports, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Trent Loboda

Trent Loboda

Trent is an electrical engineering student at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and has always had an interest in machines growing up. He built desktop computers, a 3D printer, and designed and built a go-kart which introduced him to design methodology and planning out a project. After graduating he will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and ultimately go to flight school. Therefore, this project is relevant to his future career as an aviator.
Cody Rochford

Cody Rochford

Cody Rochford is an undergraduate student in the Mechanical Engineering program at Florida State University. He is a cadet in FSU's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Vice President of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity chapter at FSU. His interests are in robotics and unmanned aerial systems. Upon graduation in the Spring of 2017, he will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Matthias Clarke

Matthias Clarke

Matthias Clarke is a senior graduating in Spring 2017 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A&M University and a B.A. in Mathematics from Seton Hall University. His interest includes software programming, robotic systems, mechanical design, and study of various power generation. In his downtime he enjoys various forms of designing, traveling, experiencing new cultures and sites, and he would like to learn to play the saxophone. He is a big family man, a twin, and his family is the biggest motivation in his life!
Gale Yu

Qinggele 'Gale' Yu

I’m from Inner Mongolia，China. I like movies and traveling. I can speak Chinese and Mongolian, English. I’m a senior student in Electrical Engineering , currently working on the SUAV project.
Marcus Yarber

Marcus D. Yarber

Marcus Yarber is an undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. His hobbies include drag racing and flying general aviation aircraft. He is also the CEO and Founder of Prestige Echelon Web Solutions, an Inbound marketing agency.
"Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk"
-Tony Stark

Sponsors

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