Team 07: Sol Drone

Context

One of the biggest obstacles to disaster relief is the inaccessibility of affected areas. There simply isn’t enough manpower to check every house on every block - and it's dangerous for first responders to try and do so. 

Some disaster relief agencies have turned to drones to address this problem; however, with their high energy requirements, short ranges and limited flight times, it's a challenge for drones to be as useful as hoped. Our team hopes to revolutionize the way relief operations are currently handled by changing the effective range of drones to allow for quick access to unstable areas.

Solution

We are creating a mobile drone charging system that can visit affected areas to remotely charge drones in the field. Our charging system consists of a lightweight solar panel housed on a large carrier drone. Upon landing, our solar panel will unfold and a landing pad will extend, providing a platform for drones to charge. The solar panel borrows its design from astronautical engineering and can charge small reconnaissance drones. Our solution eliminates the need for drones to return to a base station to charge and indefinitely extends the flight time of these drones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPxH1aVTeok&feature=youtu.be