Autonomous Multi-Rotor UAVs: A Holistic Approach to Design, Optimization, and Fabrication

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for designing, optimizing, and fabricating autonomous multi-rotor UAVs, integrating advanced materials, stability analysis, and computer vision for payload delivery, demonstrated through a custom quadcopter prototype.

Contribution

It introduces a holistic approach combining design, material selection, optimization, manufacturing, and autonomous payload delivery for UAVs, with novel features like a payload mechanism and composite materials.

Findings

Successful design and fabrication of a quadcopter using the proposed methodology.

Implementation of a deep learning model for autonomous payload delivery.

Comparative assessment of composite materials and frame configurations.

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become pivotal in domains spanning military, agriculture, surveillance, and logistics, revolutionizing data collection and environmental interaction. With the advancement in drone technology, there is a compelling need to develop a holistic methodology for designing UAVs. This research focuses on establishing a procedure encompassing conceptual design, use of composite materials, weight optimization, stability analysis, avionics integration, advanced manufacturing, and incorporation of autonomous payload delivery through object detection models tailored to satisfy specific applications while maintaining cost efficiency. The study conducts a comparative assessment of potential composite materials and various quadcopter frame configurations. The novel features include a payload-dropping mechanism, a unibody arm fixture, and the utilization of carbon-fibre-balsa composites. A quadcopter is designed and analyzed using the proposed methodology, followed by its fabrication using additive manufacturing and vacuum bagging techniques. A computer vision-based deep learning model enables precise delivery of payloads by autonomously detecting targets.