Melissa Ma
Junior Mechanical Engineering Student @ University of Toronto | Engineering with a Purpose
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Tactile Sensing Drone
SolidWorks | 3D Printer | Power Tools
In efforts to learn more about mechatronics (and because drones are super duper cool), I attempted at building a drone from scratch. On top of that, I wanted to create a means of connecting users not only through what FaceTime can achieve, but also physically connect users. Thus, the gap in the world is an electromechanical design that connects users through video, audio, and one’s tactile senses.
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Goal: to design and fabricate a drone that is capable of the following functions:
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Flies around with six degrees of freedom
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Near real-time control (low latency)
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Stereo vision and audio feed
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Displays user’s head
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Transmits user’s voice
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Transmits tactile senses
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Reflect when system energy is low
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Can be started by either side, but requires permission from both people
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Either person can turn it off at any time
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Parts List
Sketches of Designs
3D Printing Frame
Learning about Control Systems
Motor selection was based on the thrust, torque, and load while the electronics were selected based on their functionality and ease of integration within the whole system
Role
Mechanical Designer | Electrical Engineer | Technician
Project Highlights
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CADed drone in Solidworks
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3D printed prototype
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Performed calculations to select motor, propellers, and battery pack
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Integrated motors with NAVIO2 control board and battery pack
Tools
SolidWorks | 3D Printer | Power Tools
Results/Lessons Learned
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To buy the right motor, I took the frame to a local drone shop and upon assessment, the drone expert pointed out a weakness in the design- the ABS filament used for 3D printing was too flimsy, and it wouldn't even be able to withstand takeoff thrust
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The solution was either to make one out of carbon fiber or buy one
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This experience taught me that not only is it important to seek advice early on in the design phase, but prototypes are also crucial to spotting design flaws
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I learned a ton about how Raspberry Pis work, what transceivers do, vibration absorption landing gear designs, and how to reduce costs and time by considering HAT boards
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This project was paused due to insufficient funding, but nonetheless, it was a great experience for me to learn about mechatronics principles and practice my CAD skills!