project / aerial-robotics

Purdue IEEE
Aerial Robotics

I served as Captain and Electrical Lead for a 30+ student team developing a custom UAV for the AUVSI Student Unmanned Aerial Systems competition.

2015–2017Flight controlsTeam leadership

Flight-controller work

The project combined embedded firmware, electronics, and aircraft integration. My work included sensor and motor-interface firmware along with the design and layout of custom controller hardware.

The team developed its own ARM Cortex-M4 flight controller as the platform evolved. Earlier controller hardware used an ATmega2560 to interface with sensors and the aircraft's servos while running the flight-control algorithms.

Manufactured aerial-robotics controller circuit boards

Aerial-robotics controller PCB during assembly

Front PCB manufacturing drawing for the aerial-robotics controller

Back PCB manufacturing drawing for the aerial-robotics controller

Team

Beyond my own hardware and firmware work, I coordinated the electrical team and helped keep a multidisciplinary group moving toward a single aircraft that had to work in the field.