Workforce Development:
The UK Aerial Robotics Team and the PAX
River Student UAV Competition
Dale McClure
(Matt Smith)
University of Kentucky
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Workforce Development Projects
• Project Characteristic
– Interesting, Exciting, Challenging, Culmination
– Accessible Technology
• Organization
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Like a small aerospace company
Systems Approach
Students responsible for all aspects of program
Tied to courses
• Research
– Develop technologies
– Offers depth/potential for advance degree work
• Interaction with engineers and NASA
– Expose students to the “real world”
– Feedback from practicing engineers
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
PAX River Competition
• Annual Association of Unmanned
Vehicle Systems International
(AUVSI) Student UAV
Competition.
• Hosted by the U.S. Navy Program
Executive Office for Strike
Weapons and Unmanned Aviation
• International competition held in
July (24 teams in 2006)
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
The Competition
• Takeoff, fly specified GPS
waypoints, acquire images,
identify and geo-reference
ground targets, and land
within time limit
• Altitude airspace limitations
• Dynamic mission
requirements
• Submit the GPS location and
orientation of each target
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Develop a UAS
Unmanned Aircraft “System”
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Airframe and Propulsion
Embedded Computing
Autonomous Flight Control
Communication Links
Image Capture and Analysis
Ground Station
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Design Team
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Technologies
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Photo Stitching System
• NASA World Wind
– Open source software
– GUI to display end
images with all
required image data
• Functionality in a
“plug-in”
• Images can coexist
with NASA World
Wind data
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Testing in Kentucky
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Griffon Aerospace
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
NASA Marshall
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
NASA Wallops
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Competing
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Questions?
www.engr.uky.edu/idea
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Competition Details
• Teams are required to takeoff
(manual or autonomous), fly
specified waypoints, locate
and identify targets on the
ground, and return for
landing within the allotted
time.
• Mission criteria includes
dynamic air vehicle control
during autonomous flight,
GPS waypoint navigation,
target reconnaissance, ability
to adjust to changing mission
requirements.
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
PAX River Competition
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Sig Kadet Senior ARF
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Wingspan:
Length:
Weight:
Engine:
80.5 in.
64.75 in.
6.5 lbs unloaded
1.6 bhp Tower Hobbies .61
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Technologies
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Key Features of Piccolo System
Avionics - Small size: 4.8” x 2.4”
x 1.5”, 233g.
Highly integrated –Includes
sensors, GPS, enclosure, and
communications link.
Real-Time Data Logging.
Manual piloting over the
integrated UHF ground station
link.
End-user programmability,
including RS-232 serial
communications.
Flexible drag and drop flight plan
generation and updates.
Piccolo Avionics
Piccolo System Block Diagram
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Tiny Interface Module
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JTAG
custom harness
UART0
Custom harness with level shifter
UART1
Custom harness with level shifter
SPI
4-wire compatible
Servo header ( X4)
Standard Servo plug-in
GPIO (X4)
CAN (X2)
Four pin header
LED (X3)
Power
Status 0
Status 1
Push Button (X2)
Reset
Generic Push Button
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
Camera System
• Aiptek IS-DV digital camcorder
– Fixed lens camera
– NTSC video out
– 3MPixels
– Built-in SD Card Slot (Max. 1 GB)
• TXA5-Rcb 1W-70 cm
transmitter @ 426.25MHz
• Dual-Axis Stabilizing System
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory
UAV Plugin 1.1
UK Aerial Robotics Team
UK IDEA Laboratory