Servo - March 2014

the gels available require heat curing for a specific amount of time. In most cases, the heat required is so hot it will bake the electronics. The team will need to experiment with a variety of gels before deciding which one to stick with.

Ground Station, Endurance Experiments

The QuadForge Black Bat and other quad rotor UAVs run from a single ground station: the ArduMission planner. The ArduMission planner is a powerful piece of software offering seamless communication between pilot and aircraft. Using point and click placement of waypoints and commands, the ArduMission planner simplifies the task of programming autonomous flights.

The planner offers a range of commands for a quad to accomplish a variety of jobs. From loitering to following a GPS waypoint, the ArduMission planner is a convenient and powerful way to manage autonomous flights, according to the QuadForge team. This particular ArduMission planner brings the most important pilot information for efficient and intuitive flights to the forefront using real time telemetry data.

The team uses the software to keep logs of every flight. That way, pilots can look back on missions and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the flight platforms. The software presents the log data graphically in easy to read diagrams and graphs.

The short-lived endurance of a vertical takeoff and landing quad rotor UAV is an increasing barrier to the platform as the vehicles become more common. Researchers like the The Blackbat quad rotor VTOL UAV platform continues to evolve as it becomes in-air support for weather research and other applications. SV

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From CAD to 3D for Black Bat Parts

The Black Bat parts are created as images in CAD software and printed on 3D printers. The printer the QuadForge team uses applies spools of very thin plastic wiring to lay out the 3D image. "It works like a hot glue gun if you were to use it to build something from the bottom up," a team member explained.

The 3D printer feeds this plastic wire through a hot chamber that melts it and lays it down layer by layer on a tray in the machine until the piece is complete. When using CAD software, you are creating 3D images on a 2D surface. Certain things may be overlooked during the design process, so sometimes a part has to be redesigned. There is a lot of trial and error involved for the QuadForge team.