With my undergraduate degree complete at NC State, I’d like to post again to commemorate my senior year’s capstone project. Started in August of 2022, the Team LOCH Aquatic Drone has gone through a rigorous design process that is influenced by industry practices. The purpose of the project was to gather industry experience and go through the engineers design cycle. This consisted of preliminary design reviews, critical design reviews, manufacturing, and prototyping efforts, along with testing and verification. Read more about project specifics on my site’s dedicated page.
The primary idea and brainstorming occurred in the first month of development. This is when initial sketching occurred, and where we developed our passive submerging system. The team conducted trade studies to determine which parts would be necessary for prototyping, along with a feasibility analysis. Following this shortly came the team’s preliminary design review. Once feedback was given from engineers, the team revised parts from the preliminary design review and compiled a list of parts to order in the critical design review.
In the next semester, the team began manufacturing the drone, and was shortly followed by verification testing to ensure that all parts were functional. Once assembly was complete, the team conducted several flight tests (along with aquatic flight tests) to ensure that aerial maneuverability, land takeoffs and landings, and aquatic takeoffs and landings were all possible. In these tests, the team also demonstrated data collection methods. Finally, the team compiled all results into a final paper and presentation for the senior symposium, where we ultimately achieved first place!
To read more about the drone specifics and my responsibilities, visit my page dedicated to the project. Overall, the project was an incredible experience and worthwhile to take part in, since many industry standards were applied in the design process. My career as a student is over for now, as I move to the workforce to work toward Professional Engineer Licensure. Once complete, I will work toward getting my Master’s Degree.