Swarm based Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Light Show System

Project Title

Swarm based Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Light Show System

Project Area of Specialization Mechatronics EngineeringProject Summary

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) light shows (UAV-LS) are a mesmerizing display of technology and art. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) light shows (UAV-LS) are an emerging technology
for festivals and company promotions. Compared with traditional fireworks, UAV-LS are environmentally friendly and more flexible to present animations. With the rapid advancement of UAVs studies of swarm control, communication, planning, and software and hardware design are becoming increasingly popular for more intelligent, energy-efficient, and glamorous light show displays.

Drone light shows are performed by illuminated, synchronized, and choreographed groups of drones that arrange themselves into various aerial formations. Any image can be recreated using these drones by a computer program that turns graphics into flight commands and communicates them to the drones. There are many ways to control a group of drones, e.g., using a brain-computer interface (BCI) or a ground control station (GCS). In most UAV-LS systems, a ground control station, e.g., a high-performance computer, is responsible for managing and controlling the UAVs. The UAV-LS system is developed with a collision-free formation trajectory planning algorithm, a software package that facilitates animation design and real-time monitoring and control, and hardware design. The UAV-LS system hardware consists of subsystems of decision-making, a real-time global positioning system (GPS), wireless communication, and UAV platforms. These subsystems work synchronously in carrying out the beautiful display of storytelling one sees in the sky.

In this project, we aim to develop such a light show system using multiple drones. For developing multiple drones, we have to first design, analyze, develop, and test a single drone for which we seek to get funding from IGNITE NGIRI.

Project Objectives

The aim of this project is to design and develop a Swarm based Drone Light Show system for the Pakistani market. Drone light shows are an extraordinary way of telling stories and promoting brands but due to their exceptionally high cost ($20,000 for a basic 7 minutes show), they are totally unaffordable in Pakistan.

With this project, we aim to develop a cheaper but efficient solution to introduce the concept of drone light shows for entertainment and brand promotions in Pakistan. 

Project Implementation Method

To begin the implementation of our project plan as per the stated project milestones, we shall conduct research on the “Swarm-based UAV Light Show System” to gather specific details related to the design and implementation process for executing such light shows. We shall then research the design and fabrication methods for developing the drone's prototype. Once the prototype has been manufactured we shall assemble it with the already researched and selected project hardware. Once we have mounted the necessary electronics on the drone we shall begin the testing using MATLAB for modeling and simulating the drone mechanics as well as conducting a test flight. After careful comprehension of the drone mechanics and drone flight, we shall program the drone using Drone Show Software “ArduPilot Mission Planner” to make it follow the desired path. After successful completion of this task, we will modify the code of Mission Planner to support multiple drones. ArduPilot Mission Planner will aid in providing every drone with its specific path in performing the light show. 

Furthermore, we will use DataLink or WiFi for communication between Drones and the Ground Station (Drone Show Software).  After testing all the Drones and Software, we will then use any 3D Animation Software to design a Drone Light Show, then we will use our Drone Show Simulator Software to extract the drone flight paths and simulate the show. The Drone Show Simulator will check for any collision of drones and will ensure safety. Finally, a location will be selected for the Drone Light Show, all the drones will be placed on the ground and then communication will be established between the drones and the Ground Station. The paths for each drone will be uploaded to the specific drones. After rehearsals, we shall conduct a spectral display of a Swarm based Drone Light Show.

Benefits of the Project

For many people, the striking colors and the sparkling beauty of fireworks is magic, but there are things that you can’t do with fireworks that you can do with drone light shows. Drone light shows go a lot easier on the ears and are much more futuristic. These flying pixels are like digitized fireworks that can do storytelling and animate the sky in very interesting ways that are reusable, green, and non-polluting. 

Drone light shows also provide a new way of advertising as drone shows convey customized messages that amplify branding while engaging and entertaining the audience. Therefore, drone light shows do not just have the potential to replace shows with fireworks, lasers, flames, smokes, etc. but also guarantee public safety, environmental protection, and net-zero emissions.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The drones developed for our light show will have Pixhawk 2.8 flight controller, which is based on 32 Bit ARM Cortex M4 Microcontroller. The drones will be mounted with GPS and WiFi modules for location and communication with the ground station respectively. The Drone Show Software will be based on ArduPilot Mission Planner. We will modify the program of the Mission Planner to make it work with multiple drones. The new software will have functions of communicating to more than one drone for working in a swarm-based system. The program will have the functionality of uploading more than one path to multiple drones. The software will also be able to display all the sensor data at the ground station to monitor individual drone performance. Furthermore, the software will be equipped with safety features such as Geo-Fencing, Emergency Drones landing, etc.  

The other software used to carry out the light show will be the Drone Show Simulator. This software will be able to extract paths for each drone from a 3D animation of the drone light show. After this, a drone show will be simulated using the software to check if each drone is following its path. Here we will also need to ensure that there is no collision between the drones while following their paths to perform the light show.  The drones will be communicating at the ground station with the Drone Light Show Software and the Drone Simulator Software. The Drone Light Software will be displaying all the data from the sensors and the Drone Simulator Software will be displaying the real-time status of the light show. The display will be the simulation of the actual light show being performed.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry OthersOther Industries IT , Media Core Technology RoboticsOther Technologies Internet of Things (IoT), Clean TechSustainable Development Goals Affordable and Clean Energy, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Climate ActionRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	69250
Brushless Motor	Equipment	4	1650	6600
Propellers	Equipment	1	850	850
Drone Frame	Equipment	1	9500	9500
LiPo Battery	Equipment	1	5800	5800
Electronic Speed Controller	Equipment	1	9500	9500
Super Bright LED	Equipment	4	1250	5000
Pixhawk Flight Controller	Equipment	1	28000	28000
FYP Report Printing and Binding	Equipment	1	4000	4000