An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was designed and built by students for a capstone mechanical engineering project using systems engineering methodology. The UAV was intended for cinematography use, with a stabilized 2-axis rotating gimbal to hold a camera. The final design met most performance goals, flying under 100 feet and weighing under 10 pounds with a 3-axis gimbal, though the desired 45 minute flight time was not achieved due to interference. The project aimed to allow photographers to capture shots safely from a distance.

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was designed and
constructed as requirement to the capstone course of
mechanical engineering using the Systems Engineering
Methodology. The UAV was designed for use in
cinematography areas, the same by having a stabilized and
rotating gimbal that holds a camera to capture images and
video.
The UAV had as important performance goals a flight time
of 45 minutes, not go over a 100ft ceiling and weight less
than 20 lbs and have a 2 axis rotating gimbal. The final
Design reached the goal of not exceeding the stated ceiling,
it weight at less than 10 lbs and had a 3 axis rotating
gimbal. The flight time was the only MOP that could not be
completely validated because of interference causing the
battery charge to drain and not obtain the desired flight
time.
The initial idea came from watching camera men and
photographers have to be either in areas of danger or too far
away to capture good shots because of these same safety
reasons.
Quadcopters are a naturally unstable system since even when
perfectly balanced the dynamics with air and vibrations
generated by the motors and propellers will make the system
or vehicle to shift its position with small increment making it
predictable. This is something that should be taken into
consideration when starting the initial design and the
construction.
DescriptionQTY PRICE TOTAL
Carbon Fiber Sheet 1 $ 170.00 $ 170.00
Aluminum Plate 1 $ 25.00 $ 25.00
Aluminum Rod 1 $ 30.00 $ 30.00
Bolts and Nuts 1 $ 50.00 $ 50.00
Tools 1 $ 50.00 $ 50.00
CNC Water Jet Cutting 1 $ 150.00 $ 150.00
Spacer Manufacturing 1 $ 95.00 $ 95.00
CNC Plasma Cutting 1 $ 50.00 $ 50.00
Aluminum Manufacturing 1 $ 35.00 $ 35.00
Machining 1 $ 250.00 $ 250.00
Arduino 1 $ 45.00 $ 45.00
GPS 1 $ 43.76 $ 43.76
IMU 1 $ 29.99 $ 29.99
WIFI 1 $ 34.95 $ 34.95
Prop 1242 4 $ 20.00 $ 80.00
Battery 1 $ 185.00 $ 185.00
E600 Brushless Motors 4 $ 85.00 $ 340.00
ESC 20amp 4 $ 45.00 $ 180.00
Basecam Controller 1 $ 170.00 $ 170.00
Quanum 2208 motor 2 $ 15.15 $ 30.30
Turnigy 2212 motor 1 $ 17.10 $ 17.10
Al 6061-T6 Sheet 1 $ 23.15 $ 23.15
Al 6061-T6 Angle 1 $ 7.20 $ 7.20
Go Pro Hero 3 1 $ 239.00 $ 239.00
Misc (shipping, etc.) 1 $ 100.00 $ 100.00
Validation Tools (safety equipment, scale, measuring
tape) 1 $ 100.00 $ 100.00
Total $ 2,530.45
Measure of Performance (MOP’s)
• The vehicle should be half autonomous by GPS coordinates and half
user controlled
• The vehicle shall not go over a height of 100ft (Stated ceiling)
• Flight time should be over 45 minutes
• The vehicle shall be lightweight (less than 20 pounds) and stable
• The system will be assembled with less than 10 tools
• The vehicle will have a landing gear system
• The vehicle will have 2 axis camera system
• Propeller blades will be shrouded for safety
• Shall have 1080p resolution camera with microphone
• Will comply with FAA UAV Regulations (Fly below 400ft and weight
55lbs max)
Group Composed by:
Brian J. Heston #67815
Héctor L. Colón #71228
Jesús Becerra Román #74009
José E. García Torres #71452