UAV Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Missions

Course 16.82/16.885 - Professors Sertac Karaman and Mark Drela
Design an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to support rapid-response material delivery in HADR missions. The UAV should be designed to be launched from medium-size ships, and carry expandable payloads of varying weights. The UAV should be able to provide reasonable requirements on range, response time, and payload drop accuracy, suitable for HADR operations. Furthermore, the design must allow (relatively) low cost construction such that the UAVs can be deployed in large numbers.

 

System Concept: High speed, low cost, compact, autonomous delivery system with multiple-drop capability

  • Easy to launch/operate
  • Rapid deployment
  • Collapsible
  • Self-contained system
  • Long range capability
  • Flexible payload options