The Challenge: A Bottleneck in Aerial Robotics
Standard multirotor drones, while agile, are limited by their propellers. These fixed-pitch actuators have a quadratic thrust-to-speed relationship (F∝ω2), which is efficient for simple flight but creates a major bottleneck for advanced robotic applications. Specifically, this quadratic curve has a zero derivative at the zero-thrust point. This makes it impossible to quickly or smoothly reverse the direction of thrust, as the actuator loses all control sensitivity.
This is a major problem for:
- Aerial Physical Interaction: Tasks requiring precise push/pull forces against a surface.
- Omnidirectional Flight: Platforms that fly in any orientation, where propellers must constantly operate near or across the zero-thrust point.
Project Goal: A Novel Mechatronic Actuator
Existing solutions are not ideal. Reversing the motor is too slow, and Active Variable-Pitch (AVP) systems (like a helicopter's) are extremely complex, heavy, and prone to failure.
This project's goal is to design a novel "third path." We aim to create a new type of propeller that achieves the high-performance, bi-directional, and linear thrust control of an AVP system, but with the simplicity and robustness of a single-motor design. The objective is to fundamentally reshape the thrust-speed curve through smart mechatronic design, embedding the desired dynamic behaviour directly into the propeller's hardware.
Thesis Scope and Objectives
This is an explorative, high-impact project at the intersection of mechanical design, system theory, and experimental robotics. The student will:
- Modelling & Theory: Develop and refine the mathematical model for a novel propeller mechanism, exploring how to achieve the target bi-directional, linear thrust profile.
- Mechatronic Design & Prototyping: Design and build a proof-of-concept prototype of the new propeller system using rapid prototyping tools (e.g., 3D printing, compliant mechanisms).