UAV - This project was completed in four days as part of an interview. The final deliverable was a conceptual UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), designed for a US military group. The deliverables were a 3D model and context rendering. The vehicle was geared for autonomous intelligence gathering, either visual or electronic.
Reading - I began by spending a day researching the requirements and familiarizing myself with terminology, and the current state of development for military UAVs. This information was correlated with propulsion and automation technology from the roadmaps for unmanned aircraft from the Air Force, Army, and Department of Defense. These documents were available as PDFs online from various sources. I also created a large library of reference images, as a guide throughout the process.
Research - Based on the given requirements for size, I focused on a compact and modular design with interchangeable payloads. The modular aspect would allow for greater flexibility in the field by increasing ease of repair. A soldier in the field would be able to swap out faulty component modules quickly, and damaged units could be salvaged for parts. I selected the quadracopter, as it is a very small and flexible civilian platform.
Scale View - The next three days consisted of a rapid sketch phase, and due to the limited time frame, quickly progressing to rough Solidworks 3d models. These models were refined, then rendered in Hypershot, and composited in Photoshop to create the final deliverables.
Full Assembly - Features: Multiple Payloads, Interchangeable Parts, Carbon Composite Construction, Enclosed Rotors, Disassembles for compact carry / storage
Components: Li-ion Power Source, DC Brushless Motors, GPS, Accelerometers
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UAV