SurMain X4
Mission
The main mission of our drone is to inspect and scan roofs, facades and structures of buildings. But a device that is able to do this, can also be used for other tasks without complicating much its design. Some of these tasks include inspecting the energetic efficiency of buildings or inaccessible machinery, or checking the composition of exhaust gases thanks to the incorporation of sensors in its structure. For example, our drone could examine the facilities of a hospital in order to see if it has any structural damage which requires maintenance, but it could also detect if there is a gas leak, making it easier and faster to repair it, which in the end would improve the efficiency of the building over time.
Between the targets that the drone is aimed to inspect are: deformations, cracks, corrosion of metal structures, oxidation, moisture, peeling paint, waterproofing, dirt, energy loss and exhaust gases composition.
Currently, a building inspection is performed by a qualified person who is subject to many risks, especially when supervising tall buildings and roofs, or also in dangerous situations such as those with high probability of fire or intoxication. But, is it really necessary to risk someone’s life when an automated system can do it without putting anybody in danger? And, what if that system can make the job more efficient and faster? These are the main questions that our drone wants and is going to answer.
With this device we pretend to create a tool that enhances the citizens’ quality of life by improving public services without unnecessarily harming professionals and reducing the time required to provide those services, specifically maintenance and surveillance.
You can access the different sections about this project by clicking on the following buttons:
How it works
Up to here we have seen what the drone will be used for, but how will it do it?
In general terms, our drone will be an easy to control, light-weight multicopter mainly composed of carbon fiber. To do the inspections, it will include a camera that will take images of what it “sees” and send them to an operator, who will receive a complete and accurate 3-D model of the building in his monitor. This way, the operator can check in real time if there is any damage and send a qualified person to fix it. The design will be innovative, such that the structure will be able to support different adverse weather conditions, like rain or sand storms, high temperatures and moderately high wind gusts. Regarding the energy required to power the drone, it will be fully electric, thus being eco-friendly and also lighter since it won’t need to carry the fuel and tank to store it. Besides, our drone will include a “safe mode” that will be activated in case of system failure, avoiding the possibility of hitting someone’s head and minimizing damages in the drone due to the fall.
By the way, in order for our drone to be more useful, it will be capable not only of supervising buildings but, since it can support different climatological conditions, it could also develop other tasks such as surveillance of certain zones with simply changing the type of camera.
UAV Design
The SurMain X4 consists of a medium-sized quadcopter in X configuration. Its structure is mainly composed of Carbon Fiber Reinforce Polymer (CFRP) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). The former is used for light-weight, strong structural parts and the latter, for 3D printed parts, enabling more complex shapes.
The quadcopter includes:
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Propeller protectors, designed to provide both safety for the final user and impact resistance to avoid damage to the device when colliding with an obstacle.
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Central dome, designed to protect the systems from the exterior as well as to provide smooth airflow over the central body. Easily removable from the drone's structure to access the systems, attached with magnets.
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Light-weight landing gear, designed to provide higher stability for takeoff and landing.
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Selected systems, optimized for mission (building's inspection).
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Interchangeable payload options. Current design contains a 2-axis cantilever gimbal.
Technical Specifications:
Weight: 5 kg (approx., including payload)
Dimensions: 748 mm (from rotor hub to rotor hub)
Propeller diameter: 14 in (355.6 mm)
Max. velocity: 15 m/s
Max. endurance: 26 min
