Air Courier

In past few years the study of control and automation has reached to a new verge of existence specially into autonomous flying drones. In this project a hexacopter is used to create a fully autonomous system which takes input from an android app, Fly to the location using live GPS coordinates of the

Project Title

Air Courier

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

In past few years the study of control and automation has reached to a new verge of existence specially into autonomous flying drones. In this project a hexacopter is used to create a fully autonomous system which takes input from an android app, Fly to the location using live GPS coordinates of the device, Takes the parcel and reach the destination provided using its on-board sensors and controller. The location of the hexacopter, source and destination is tracked by on-board GPS module which maps the co-ordinates and navigates the hexacopter. The real time progress of the drone can be monitored via the mobile phone app. Continuous distance of front and sides throughout 360 degrees are monitored using ultrasonic sensors. A stabilized vision system locks the destinated location using a lightweight algorithm designed specifically for recognition of the signal generated by the smartphone flash LED which transmit a unique code to the drone which act as security confirmation and positioning beacon for the drone. The system is implemented using Raspberry Pi and Night vision Pi camera. The controlling of the drone is done using Ardupilot 2.8. The project can revolutionize the transportation industry and the future potential goes beyond adding convenience to online shopping. Pinpoint accurate delivery to any smartphone may improve the feasibility of life saving applications.

Project Objectives

The major objectives of the project are:

• To simulate a structure of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on simulation platforms and develop a stabilized model for practical environment.
• To select all the compatible electronic components for the project. 
• To purchase all the components, if not available locally then order them online.
• To assemble the all the components with the chassis to develop an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
• To program the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for manual flight.
• To calibrate the PID values for stable control.
• To test the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in controlled environment for any errors.
• To develop an algorithm for autonomous flight and integrate it with the onboard controller.
• To test the autonomous mode of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in controlled environment.
• To develop an android app for giving input to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
• To integrate the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with the android app.
• To test the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle by giving input from the smartphone.
• To develop an algorithm for positioning and security check for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle before delivering a package.
• To develop a delivery mechanism for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
• To conduct a final test of the project.

Project Implementation Method

METHODOLOGY:  To explain the methodology of Air Courier we have divided the project in three parts:

1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Android App 

1. Hardware: The first part of the project in which we assembled a drone using the following components:

• Hexa-copter Frame (Tarot 690)
• 13 inch carbon fiber Propellers
• EMAX MT3515 motor 
• Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)
• APM 2.6 flight controller
• 6S LiPo Battery (4.5 amp) X 2
• RC Radio Transmitter and Reciever
• Power Distribution Board
• Telemetry Radio
• Raspberry Pi 4
• Pi Camera

2. Software: The software part of the project covers the programming of the drone, calibration of the drone and Autonomous flight. The software used in developing this project are as follows:

• Mission Planner
• Arduino IDE
• Raspbian OS

Mission Planner is used to program APM 2.8 and calibrate the Unmammed Aerial Vehicle with all the on-board sensors.

Arduino IDE is used to take input from the ultrasonic sensors and feed it to APM 2.8 using Inter Integrated Communication.

Raspbian operating system is used to implement the positioning and security check algorithm using Pi Camera. 

3. Android App: The android app is developed using android studio and the coding is done in java. This app can be installed on any android smartphone. It will send the input to the drone and the drone will navigate to the gps location of the smartphone. Live progress of the drone can be seen on the app.

The implementation of the project depends on all the above three parts. Together they complete the idea and project of Air Courier. 

Benefits of the Project

First lets look at the problem and then we will discuss the benefits of the project and how it will solve the problem.

With the advancement in technology everything is coming on finger tips. We can order a pizza online or shop anything with just a few clicks. But the problem is that it takes from 45 minutes to 24 hours for delivering our stuff. Sometimes we need things urgently and we wish that somehow our things get teleported here. Like if we forget our admit card, ID card, Invitation card or any other important document somewhere and need it urgently on spot we are in a big problem.  

The above problem is faced by a lot of people daily and current solutions are very slow, for example using some delivery service to deliver the stuff but it wastes a lot of time which we can’t afford at that moment. Our solution offers delivery using a drone which reduces the delivery time by one third. The process is very simple and quick using an android app to book an order and monitor the drone dispatching the base, collecting the package from selected location and delivering it to your location.   

The project can revolutionize the transportation industry and the future potential goes beyond adding convenience to online shopping. Pinpoint accurate delivery to any smartphone may improve the feasibility of life saving applications.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The technical details of the final deliverable of the project are as follows:

• The speed of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle at max will be 60 Kmph.
• The battery time of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will be 15 minutes.
• The max weight lifting capacity of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will be 3 Kg.
• Maximum range of delivery at prototype level of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is 1 Km.
• The Android app will be used to give input to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
• Live location of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will be displayed on the app using an onboard GPS module.  
• The accuracy for delivering the package will be a radius of 5 metre.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Transportation

Other Industries

Core Technology

Robotics

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com