Design Final Project

ENGR 2920
April 9th, 2014
Billie Hardigree, Logan Morisson, Wesley Smith, Jacob Hood, Elijah Vilfort

Dragonfly Drone
According to the needs laid out in the problem definition, this drone will be used solely
for surveillance (in the case of the military) and land surveying (for an agricultural company or
the government). Based on these needs, the most important function of the device we create is
crisp movement and efficient aerodynamics. Considering movement is such a broad category,
we will also have to consider all subsidiary components of movement as well such as stability,
turn radius, speed, and altitude capabilities. After movement and stability, the most important
characteristic of the drone would be surveillance capabilities and technology. Considering the
drone is modeled after an insect, the technology which produces the surveillance capabilities
must be very small and must also be angled in an appropriate fashion such that the video is
easily seen and meets all required needs. For secondary needs, the drone must be modeled
directly after an insect, it must be compact, and it must be also be capable of transmitting
information considering it is a drone.

The insect we chose to model was the dragonfly. The reason for our decision is that
modern militaries and engineers have already modelled a widely known mobile transportation
device somewhat after the dragonfly, a helicopter. While this may be a bit of a faulty
comparison, they share many features. For example, the dragonfly has a head, a long slim
body, and wings directly behind its head. A helicopter has a cockpit (the analogous head),
propellers directly above the cockpit (the wings), and a long slim tail with an additional propeller
at the end of the tail (similar to the dragonflys body). Considering information about the modern
helicopter is so easily accessible, all we would really need to do for our drone is to apply similar
structure and technology on a much smaller and more literal scale.

In consideration of the specific needs laid out in the final project problem definition, each
requirement can pretty easily be met. For example, the propellers which mimic the dragonflys
wings provide low turn radius and also easy altitude control much like the real life dragon fly and
also the modern helicopter. Considering the body/tail would be so thin, the device would be
easily light weight and also very mobile through difficult air conditions.
Design Requirements
Our goal is to design a cheaper and better working design for the dragonfly drone. A
dragonfly drone is basically a tiny robot that can be manually controlled by a user. As a drone,
its function is to analyze an environment and display its findings back to the user. Additionally,
the drone is a mobile airborne machine that can be instructed to continually perform a
specialized function. For example, the drone can be programed to perform various tasks such
as scout unknown locations of all sizes and inform other mechanical components that a crop is
ready for harvest or to transport information and/or products to a manufacturer, distributor, or
consumer.
As stated above, the drone function possibilities are almost limitless. Ideally, we would
like our drone design to use a single template that can be modified for specialized use in
industrial, agricultural, business, and medical settings. Good design requirements are needed
to solve the problem design. Additionally, As a result, we came up with four design
requirements necessary to fulfill all the functions of our dragonfly drone. As follows is the list
and descriptions of our design requirements:

1. We want to have a production budget of $800 per unit in order to make a profit. Assuming
a human work receives $10 per hour and works from 9 am to 5pm Monday through Friday and
that our drone can work continuously seven days a week, we will be able to convince that drone
workers are more cost effective to companies than human workers at a price above or equal to
$300 per unit.

2. We want our product to function at high quality well after the purchase period. Therefore,
we would like to establish the maintenance, warranty, and overall durability expectations of the
product. This means that we would like use a lightweight metal alloy to construct the frame and
external legs of the drone. Specifically, we thought that using aluminum would best fulfill all the
requirements stated above. Additionally, aluminum is a great conductor. Therefore, the drone
could work off of solar power and reduce the costs to the consumer.

3. The drone will be used in all environments to visualize and display to the user. Therefore
we need a camera and transmission system to convey the video to the user. Ideally, we would
like the drone to be programed to perform multiple tasks repeatedly without the need of a user
at all. However, we think that this unlikely in all settings so the camera must have high
resolution and broad stream availability.

4. The drone must be able to fly and land on flat surfaces without being damaged or losing
any of its functions. The means by which the drone will fly will be analyzed in the conceptual
stage, but we suggest that a mobile camera is installed into the head of the drone. Also, the
drone will have 6 sticky legs that can land on walls in addition to flat surfaces.
Market Survey
The drone we will be designing will be targeted for use in an agricultural setting:
specifically, the UGA agriculture department. When designing a product, it is important to know
the exact current needs of the market. In order to learn what the needs are, we will interview
someone in the agriculture department at UGA to determine the specific needs for this drone.

Possible Interview Questions:

How much farmland does UGA have?

How is the farmland fertilized?

How often is the farmland fertilized?

How often are pests/funguses a problem?

Is it hard to catch plant disease before it has damaged the plants beyond repair?

When disease strikes the farm, how is it handled? (Precision, efficiency, etc.)

How does the UGA Agriculture Department keep track of maintenance on the farms?

How are new crops planted?

Questions like these will help us determine how to design the drone to meet the specific
needs of the Agriculture department at UGA. Using the answers to these questions, the drone
can be designed with specific functions to maximize its usefulness. The drone, for example,
could reduce time to inspect crops manually, by surveying the land from above with cameras
and infrared technology. This can also minimize the cost of pesticides and pest control by
determining exactly where pests are a problem and treating those specific areas, rather than
treating the whole farm.

Cost Proposal
Creating a proposal or invoice for this project can be a little tricky. With the proper
research and comparison however and according to the Design Requirements section above,
we estimated the total cost for the Dragonfly Drone to be between $800 and $1500. This range
is largely in part of the various options available in terms of the technology equipment. Since our
goal is a cheaper yet reliable design, the chart below represent our cheapest conceptual
alternative:
 Our communication, video, and aircraft System are all military based designs. Our
consultation will of course be performed by our brave professors in the engineering department.

DESIGN CONCEPTS AND EVALUATION: APRIL 16, 2014

Concept Designs and Evaluations

In addition to using the design requirements established in the above section, we would like our
drone to look like a dragonfly. We think that an insect shaped drone will be aesthetically pleasing to our
main customer base: large agricultural companies attempting to keep up with the rapidly improving
technological world. Additionally, all concept designs must be under the dimensions of 4 inches by 2
inches to accommodate for the shape of an ordinary dragonfly. However, we expect our prototype to be
larger than these dimensions in order to properly display all the features of the drone and analyze the the
pros and cons in the design. In addition to making the highest quality product with the lowest costs, by
using what we have learned in class, the components should fit well together, the minimal amount of parts
should be used when possible, and the assembly of the components should be simple to manufacture (the
more standard parts the better). In total, we came up with three complete concepts. By using the
Stamper method explained chapter four, we began with around thirty ideas. These thirty concepts
combined in ten standing models that were again reduced by not meeting one of the design requirements.
Our team concluded with three concept designs and they are as follows:

Concept One: Magnetic DragonDRONE

This design is the heaviest of the drones. If requires a higher density metal than the other designs
due to a distinct function: the ability to connect parallel to metal walls. This drones design uses six
mobile, flexible legs to land. A disadvantage to this design concept is a requirement of magnetic walls.
This could be difficult in places that require transparent shelter from natural forces like greenhouses.
Greenhouses are used to protect crops from wind, rain, extreme heat and/or sunlight. A light source is
required in greenhouses to nourish the crops. Natural sunlight is cheaper than creating a source of light
for photosynthesis through manmade fixtures. To elude this problem, companies could have metal
platforms (one inch thick, 8 x 8 block) installed with the purchase of our drones. These platforms
would be used as the landing sites for the metal drones to observe, analyze and inform which crops are
ready for harvest. Additionally, this same concept could be used in an outdoor, office or industrial setting
through installation of the metal platforms attached to a poll, wall, tree, and variety of other objects.

Concept Two: Solar DragonDRONE

Similar to an eco-friendly car, the Solar DragonDRONE uses both battery and solar energy to
operate. Unlike the Magnetic DragonDRONE, this design is the lightest of the three designs. Ideally, we
would like to have an engineer with photovoltaic experience. Regardless, solar cells are the main
technology currently used to convert light energy directly into usable electricity. These materials are
often expensive but reduce the operating cost of the device after a certain period of time. This depends on
the cost of alternative forms of energy and the usage of energy by the product. Being that our drone is
only 4 by 2, it is hard to believe that this the most productive use of resources. However, the idea of
saving the environment is extremely appealing to companies, especially start-up/growing companies,
because of their desire to be unique; a product unique to the market place gives the company control of
the sales and can lead to an increase in total customers. Practical materials to create solar cells include:
crystalline silicon, and thin films (conductive metal alloys placed between two plastic insulator plates).
When creating solar cells, one needs to have an ideal conductor. Copper, Aluminum, Cadmium and
Indium, and composites including those elements are necessary.

Electrical Engine/Rotary powered DragonDRONE

Much like modern flying toys and military grade UAV drones alike, this drone will be a battery
powered/electrically driven device which can be given commands through radio waves. This is perhaps
the simplest potential concept available, however also the most easily implementable and also
functional. Most modern flying toys are battery powered and are controlled through a device which
transmits radio waves to a receptor on the actual toy. The idea for this dragonDRONE will be extremely
similar, although with the materials available to a large business, or even the U.S. government.

In the long, slim body of the dragonfly will be an elongated electrical motor connected to four
propellers on the top side of the design. The motor will be battery operated and will not need to be
exceptionally powerful considering the weight of our device is extraordinarily small. In addition, the
body of the drone will be constructed using strong, thick, fibrous plastic in an attempt to make the
drone resistant to the elements, yet at the same time be strong enough to move through potential
obstructions in the environment such as trees, grass, shrubbery. To account for turning ability, the
common rotors that typically are on helicopters and toys of similar make, can be added here as well, in
addition, potentially, to a rear vertical propeller to aid in turning.

Again this may seem like a trivial design for a device that could potentially be used by the
military, however often times simple is best in that case. The device would be incredibly cheap,
lightweight, aerodynamic, and also easy to fly, considering no advanced engine controls are necessary.

Potential drawbacks of design:

Inability to operate in high winds/inclement weather, due to lightweight frame.

Battery operated, so could potentially run out of energy in the field.
DESIGN PROTOTYPING MANUFACTURING, AND TESTING: APRIL 28,

2014
FINAL PROJECT REPORT AND PRESENTATION: MAY 2, 2014

Sources/References
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerkay/2013/12/04/the-drawbacks-of-delivery-drones-may
-outweigh-the-benefits/
2. http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/6/5587852/dji-phantom-2-vision-plus-drone-quadrocopt
er-announced-price
3. http://fcnl.org/issues/foreign_policy/understanding_drones/
4. http://americansecurityproject.org/blog/2012/the-us-and-its-uavs-the-financial-cost-versu
s-strategic-value-of-drones/
5. http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/13165.htm