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| Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE PROJECT
While India is yet to develop its own technology for stealth surveillance through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) has developed a laboratory-level model, weighing 1.8 kg and capable of lifting 28 kg weight. With a light-weight carbon frame, the vehicle is equipped with surveillance cameras, wireless sensors and vision-processing software. It is capable of operating both on the ground and in air. The complete vehicle comprises twin UAVs, one large and one small. The latter is positioned on the former during launch and later takes off from the orbiting mother UAV after a pre-determined height. The team has been worked on the project for close to 18 months. The departments that have been involved include mechanical engineering, computer engineering, industrial engineering and electronics and IT. Says Dr. M. Kulkarni, head of the department of IT, who was one of the faculty members associated with the project: "This is a working lab-level model, but much more advanced than a prototype. The basics of the technology have been mastered and our ultimate aim is to share it The vehicle hardware and control systems, both developed in the college, enable the vehicle to travel to destinations specified by GPS waypoints, use artificial vision to locate and identify target buildings and conduct stealth surveillance. It is also equipped with obstacle-avoidance technology through SONAR sensors. "Right now the vehicle flies only at a height of 15 to 20 feet, but
with increase in the power of the engine, a height of 100 to 200 feet can
be easily achieved. It is ideal for surveillance, though this particular
version was made keeping in mind just the competition specifications,"
Dr. Kulkarni said.
Student Members Pranav Kedia - B.E. Production & Industrial Engineering |
