Project Team
Students
Tanay Raje
Mechanical Engineering
Penn State Behrend
Gregory Nutter
Mechanical Engineering
Penn State Behrend
Faculty Mentors
Adam Hollinger
Penn State Behrend
Mechanical Engineering
Christopher Rahn
Penn State University Park
Mechanical Engineering
Project
Project Video
Project Abstract
Drones create the opportunity for objects to be delivered to previously un-deliverable places within a matter of minutes or hours. From medicine to commercial, from delivery agriculture products to kid’s toys. These drones can fast-track society from two-day shipping to one-day, while still being a fraction of the cost. However, as society continues its course to achieving perfection, there are many setbacks that we must face. In the case of drones, comes the problem that all things face one way or another, time. A drone is confined to the length and distance dictated by its battery. In this research, our team worked to search for alternative methods to deliver power to the drone while increasing its lifespan. Modern drones are largely powered by a single centrally placed Lithium-Polymer battery. These heavy, yet powerful batteries are, in our opinion, obsolete compared to the power offered by light and less potent Lithium-Ion battery. Lithium-Ions are significantly weaker than Lithium-Polymer batteries, however, basic electronic background tells us that by creating a system of these batteries, we can still create the same power output while reducing the weight of the drone. These batteries, due to their slim geometry could be placed into redesigned arms and spread out throughout the drone. By doing so, we add the additional attribute of increased strength, allowing the drone to withstand a greater impact. In order to proceed with such an endeavor, we began by disassembling and redesigning the drone in order to allow a quick transition from a Lithium-Polymer to Lithium-Ion and proceeded with testing the Lithium-Polymer batteries in order to get a baseline origin. Following this, we tested the Lithium-Ion batteries and compared the results to either verify or deny our hypothesis.
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