Last Updated: April聽2024
The 2024 Capstone Team "Still Compiling" came to me with their very own project idea: a drone that is immune to RF signal jammers because all communication is done via optical link.
Project Summary
The system features two components: a drone with a photosensor and a ground station with a laser diode and a camera for tracking. Challenges include: a) developing a communication protocol for transmitting data to the drone via laser pulses,聽b) tracking the drone using the ground station, and c) establishing and maintaining a reliable communication link while the drone is flying.
The team members are:
Aidan Fitton - Project Lead / Morale Manager
Henry Tomerlin - Project Manager聽/聽Hardware聽and PCB Architect
Nasser Allanqawi -聽Assignments Manager /聽Power Management Architect
Daniel Lee -聽Documentation Manager /聽User Interface Architect
Frank McDermott - Financial Manager / Software Architect
Sam Robertson - Test Engineering Manager / Quality Control
Project Outcome
The project was a resounding success: after months of consisten effort, hard聽work, troubleshooting, brainstorming, and tuning, the team was able to establish a reliable聽communication link and fly the drone exclusively via laser!聽The demostration went without a hitch and the Still Compiling stall attracted quite a crowd聽throughout the whole day at the Engineering Expo. To top it all off, the team won the ECEE Most Ambitious聽Project Award!
Highlights
Ground Based Laser Transceiver to Target In-Flight Drones (GiBLiT)