FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT: ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

1.

Introduction

We are required by UniSA to use the supplied Drone to pick up packages and deliver them to customer
warehouses.
We need to design a package pick up and drop off mechanism to be used with the Blade QX3 Drone that can deliver
the packages from the Control Station Warehouse to three Customer Warehouses in the ratio of 3:2:1.
We also need to design a package storage loading system for the provided packages and set up in the Control Station
Warehouse.
Our system needs to:
Pick up supplied packages from the Control Station Warehouse and deliver to the
three Customer Warehouses in nominated ratios.
Build a stacking system for the Control Station Warehouse that will stack the
supplied packages in a way that suits the Drone pick up system.
We also need to produce a 3 minute video of the challenge that explains our roles and how they were distributed, how
the drone lifted, what material was used and why, hook design & position, and challenges in flying.

2. Team Progress
2.1 Progress
The team has worked well, Zac and I have worked together the most and have done a lot of designing and making to
complete the packaging and hook Hayden
We have progressed well and made a good delivery plan, packaging system and hook. We didnt keep on track all
the time but we still got there in the end Nathan
Weve talked in a group to discover what could be going wrong. Jacob
2.2 Issues
We encountered a lot of issues with the packaging being too flimsy and the hook swinging too much. We modified the
hook and the packing until they worked. Hayden
Half of the video group left so we had to make sure the remaining people were here at the same time to do the work
Lily
We learned how to fix the drone when it needed to be recalibrate or re-binded Nathan
Weve scrapped a lot of designs such as a trolley and a failed hook, but we got around those and made a cleaner
version. Jacob
2.3 Improvements
If we focussed on the work more, we may have gotten things done quicker Nathan
We could have done better by staying on task and teachers helping us and by showing us what to do, as we didnt
really understand Hayley
The problems we have overcome with everyone grouping together and talking through a solution Hayden
Sadly we did mess around in a lot of the lessons and wasted time. We managed to catch up though Jacob

All

All

Interim report writing

Final technical report

Test and refine packaging

Dylan, Zac, Hayden,

Andrew

Dylan, Zac, Hayden,

Andrew, Pilots

Dylan, Zac, Hayden,

Andrew

Build pickup mech prototype

Test and refine pickup mech

Manufacture final pickup mech

Corey, Nathan

Corey, Nathan

Consult with designers

Practice pickup/dropoff

13
Apr

20
Apr

27
Apr

4
May

11
May

18
May

25
May

1
Jun

15
Jun

8
Jun

22
Jun

29
Jun

g
g

g
g
g
g

g
g

g
g
g
g

13
Mar

27
Feb

6
Apr

Hannah, Lily, Hayley,

Marysa, Stacey

30
Mar

Post-production: editing

23
Mar

TIMELINE: PLANNED DATES

16
Mar

9
Mar

Hannah, Lily, Hayley,

Marysa, Stacey

2
Mar

Production: filming

23
Feb

16
Feb

Hannah, Lily, Hayley,

Marysa, Stacey

9
Feb

Pre-production: script,
storyboard

2
Feb

HOLIDAYS

Hannah, Lily, Hayley,

Marysa, Stacey

26
Jan

VIDEO DUE 10 JUNE

Choose roles

Video

Corey, Nathan

Practice flight controls

Pilots

Dylan, Zac, Hayden,

Andrew

Design pickup mechanism

Pickup Mechanism

Zac, Dylan, Jacob

Zac, Dylan, Jacob

Zac, Dylan, Jacob, Pilots

Build packaging prototype

Manufacture final packaging

Zac, Dylan, Jacob

Design packaging

Packaging

All

Form team/decide on roles

Project Management

RESPONSIBILITY

INTERIM REPORT DUE 20 MAY

ACTIVITIES

ENGINEERING CHALLENGE DAY 17 JUNE

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - STATUS AND TIMING REVIEW

27
Mar

10
Apr

8
May

15
May

18
May

25
May

1
Jun

15
Jun

STATUS REVIEW DATES

CS

ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

3. Progress Tracking

4. Final Design Details

4.1. Design concepts for the total project
Our pickup mechanism design is basically a hook that hangs off the bottom rails of the drone. It is made from 4mm
steel rod to provide support and strength without adding too much weight to the drone.
Our design for the packaging system involves a large loop attached to a framework that holds the blocks. The blocks
will be loaded onto the frames by the team during our 10 minute setup time.

4.2. Detail design work completed to date

The hook designers came up with an idea for how it could be made and our first prototype was made quickly using
stiff wire to see if it would work. We designed the hook so it could lay flat while the drone was on the ground and then
drop into position when it took off. The pilots were happy with the design so we made a second more accurate version
using slightly heavier rod (below).

We tried a few different designs of the loop (below) using different materials including packing strap, wire, and 10mm
wide strips of sheet metal. The packing strap was the lightest but in testing it was getting blown over by the drone and
that made it difficult to pick up. The wire worked well but added weight which we wanted to reduce to make the drone
perform better. The strips of sheet metal give the right combination of light weight and stiffness.

4.3. Final Design

The final design is a refined version of the hook and loop prototypes using strips of sheet metal and 4mm steel rod
(below).

We tried a straight hook with a bend at the bottom but it swayed too much so we changed it and added some bends
to reduce the swinging. We had some issues with the packaging being blown over by the thrust of the drone so we
made it out of sturdier metal. I think we are well within the requirements and I think our hook and packaging will be
one of the best on the day. Hayden
We have settled on a long hook and metal package. After testing all our designs we found that this worked the best
for us. Nathan
We designed multiple versions of a hook and even a trolley design, we finally chose a well manufactured hook with
metal strappings. It preformed the best with our pilots skills. Jacob

5. Testing
We have tested these designs by going out on the oval and in the gym and just trying out the designs and watching
what happens so we can come up with ideas to better that design. We found that the designs were too flimsy and
moved around from the thrust of the drone and also the swinging of the hook when the drone made movements
causing the drone to be harder to control. We made the packaging a stronger and less flimsy material and we put
bends in the hook to reduce the swinging Hayden

6. Manufacturing Methods
6.1. Details of how the designs were made
Hook:
Made using 4mm steel rod, bent to shape using a metal bender. The cross piece at the top is bent and then welded to
the hook piece. It was then sprayed silver to give it a higher quality finish.
For the hook we all came up with ideas and I measured, cut and welded the bent metal rod to suit the designs.
Hayden
Packaging:
The final design has a 10mm wide strip of sheet metal shaped into a loop then spot welded onto a 4mm rod base that
is spring loaded so the blocks dont fall off (shown above). They were all sprayed blue so they looked the same and so
they would stand out better on the day.
Zac and I made a production line with Zac making the loop and me bending the metal for the packaging using a jig.
The parts were then spot welded together. We worked quickly in the end and were a successful production line
Hayden
6.2. Improvements
The design we have chosen has been developed really well and we have made it look and perform well. It would be
good to explore some different systems if we were going to do the challenge again.
We used our workshop to our advantage, we used metal and tools to shape our designs and make them work.
Nathan

7. Operational and Safety

We flew the drone away from people so it didnt hurt them, and we wore safety glasses when we were in the
workshop. Nathan
Nobody was stupid and we all took it seriously while having fun at the same time and nobody stood in stupid spots
and we were all sensible. Hayden