Mentor/s
Okey Ugweje
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
This project aims to develop a fully autonomous drone capable of performing a precise flight path that includes takeoff, navigation, a ring pick-up, and a ring drop-off. The pick-and-drop system features a custom-designed, silicone and 3D-printed servo motor claw mechanism for reliable ring handling, integrated into a lightweight drone frame. The implementation of the drone includes the use of a Cube Black as the flight controller, a Here4 rover and base module as the real-time kinematic (RTK) navigation modules, 4S (15.2V) Lipo battery, four APD 40F3 ESCs, two RFD900x-US Telemetry modules, and four KV900 motors. The combination of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and RTK modules provide real-time feedback to support stable flight and centimeter-precise navigation through the course. The wooden posts for the assistance of the ring pick-up and drop-off and the 3D-printed ring were also custom-designed. Autonomous missions were programmed using waypoint mapping via Mission Planner. Testing was conducted outside of the West Campus building. Current outcomes include successfully flying the drone manually and autonomously through Mission Planner, as well as connecting and receiving signals from four different satellites: GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Beidou (China), and Galileo (Europe). Overall, this abstract presents the development of an autonomous drone that can complete a flight mission with centimeter-level accuracy.
College and Major available
Computer Engineering BS, Computer Science BS, Electrical Engineering BS
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Prize Categories
Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Creative, Best Technology Prototype
Autonomous Drone Mission
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
This project aims to develop a fully autonomous drone capable of performing a precise flight path that includes takeoff, navigation, a ring pick-up, and a ring drop-off. The pick-and-drop system features a custom-designed, silicone and 3D-printed servo motor claw mechanism for reliable ring handling, integrated into a lightweight drone frame. The implementation of the drone includes the use of a Cube Black as the flight controller, a Here4 rover and base module as the real-time kinematic (RTK) navigation modules, 4S (15.2V) Lipo battery, four APD 40F3 ESCs, two RFD900x-US Telemetry modules, and four KV900 motors. The combination of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and RTK modules provide real-time feedback to support stable flight and centimeter-precise navigation through the course. The wooden posts for the assistance of the ring pick-up and drop-off and the 3D-printed ring were also custom-designed. Autonomous missions were programmed using waypoint mapping via Mission Planner. Testing was conducted outside of the West Campus building. Current outcomes include successfully flying the drone manually and autonomously through Mission Planner, as well as connecting and receiving signals from four different satellites: GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Beidou (China), and Galileo (Europe). Overall, this abstract presents the development of an autonomous drone that can complete a flight mission with centimeter-level accuracy.
Students' Information
Ava E. Gioioso, Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Student, graduating May 2026.
Jake P. Petruzzelli, Electrical Engineering Student, graduating May 2025.
Julia Piascik, Honors Computer Science and Computer Engineering Student, graduating May 2026.