Development of a small UAV with real-time video surveillance

Abstract

This paper describes a capstone project whose objective was to design, build and successfully test an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with real-time video surveillance capabilities. The student team was composed of seven students within an aeronautical concentration of their Mechanical Engineering Technology program. The students designed and built a UAV capable of flying under direct manual control and indirect automatic control. Direct manual control was accomplished via a model radio-control transmitter, while indirect control accomplished via the onboard autopilot system. Programmable autonomous flight software, utilizing global positioning satellites (GPS), controls the autopilot system. A ground control station (GCS) sends and receives telemetry from a 2.4GHz modem located in the UAV. The GCS utilized Paparazzi, an open-source hardware and software autopilot platform, which allows mission specific flight plans to be created, uploaded, and executed and monitored during the UAV's flight. Real-time video from the UAV is transmitted to the GCS via an antenna and receiver. This comprehensive design and build project, concluding with successful test flights, enhanced the student learning and performance during the course of the project. Assessment data gathered by the project faculty mentor are provided in the paper. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.