International universitiesmini UAV competition

http://concours-drones.onera.fr Philippe Choy, ONERA

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Subsidized by DGA, organized by Onera

Open to engineering schools and universities (2nd cycle degree program)

Goals :

Demonstrate the operational interest presented by mini UAVs to seek objectives in an urban landscape

Bring forth innovative concepts and solutions, constitute a library of technological subsets

Original method : an initial financing is awarded to the competitors (leaded by a French

team) because of the difficulty of the technological challenge

Context

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Stimulate the university research in the field of mini UAVs and micro-technologies

Favor the French-French and international cooperation, if possible to discover competence (laboratories) abroad which could lead to future cooperation

Competitions are highly esteemed by students (Shell Marathon, E=M6 cup)

Why appeal to engineering schools and universities ?

Because the "academics" (students and teachers) can have simple and original ideas, and can afford to take more technological risks than the manufacturers

Most of the schools and universities have research laboratories

This subject can easily join a motivating educational project (multidisciplinary aspect)

Why organize a competition ?

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What already exists in the States

– University MAV competition

low navigation autonomy

low size is privileged

– Flying robots competition

fully autonomous

very heavy (and expensive)

– Direct DARPA funding to university

laboratories

The competition organized by DGA and Onera proposes an intermediate approach

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To know everything about the DGA competition :http://concours-drones.onera.fr

Bilingual French / English

– Regulation download

(final version: September, 2003)

– Application form

– List of the registered competitors

– Frequently Asked Questions

– Latest news

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Schedule

Academic years

Sept02

Sept03

Sept04

June03

June04

June05Year 1

Pricegiving

Application ends

April 05June 04end 03

40 k€ awarded to 9 other

teams

Second defence of technical dossiers

In flight demonstrations

Safety dossiers

Operational and static

testing

Year 2 Year 3

Application

year 1

Financial contribution(only teams leaded by a French

school or university)

40 k€ awarded to 10 teams

May 03

Defence of technical dossiers

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- A static judgement

- An “operational” judgement

Marking criteria (appendix IV of the regulation)

Design : miniaturization, micro-technologies, endurance, vulnerability, assembly / disassembly / transport…

Navigation autonomy : take-off and landing, tele-piloting or autonomous navigation in free space or

below the tops of buildings

Operational capacity : achievement of mission objectives, real-time transmission and\or data storage,

stabilisation, images quality, targets identification…

The great day : June 2005

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The operational testing (2005)

7/ moving towards destination (team + material)

5/ search for snipers (pre-indicated facades)

Point of departure

1/ arrival of the competitors

2/ system deployment ; UAV(s) launch

Final destination

3/ search for simples

objectives4/ stabilized image transmission

Soldiers / check point

6/ UAV recovery - system packing

8/ end

barricade

sniper

Zone area : 1 km2

vehicle

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Considered site for the final test

– Artificial village

(thus uninhabited)

• streets width : 10 - 15 m

• 1 ou 2 floors ; only one 3 floors building (< 10 m)

• highest point : church’s bell tower (10 m) ; trees 20 m

Place not revealed today for security reasons (army area, near a shooting range)

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Applications result in June 2003(first financial assistance allocation)

– 23 teams registered

– 20 technical dossiers presented

• from 6 to 60 students & professors

• one team associated with foreign university (Mexico)

• association between 2 schools / universities for 8 teams

– 10 financial assistance allocated

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Beneficiaries of the 10 first financial contributions

• Université de Technologie de Compiègne (projet AURYON)

• École Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et d'Aérotechnique (projet AMADO)

• École Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et des Microtechniques

• École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (Paris) – Université de Clermont-Ferrand

• École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris et École Centrale de Paris (projet Oiseau artificiel)

• École Centrale de Paris et École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (projet Quadricoptère)

• Groupe ESIEE (projet Puls’ESIEE)

• Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Strasbourg  (projet Cigognes)

• Université d'Évry Val d'Essonne (Laboratoire des Systèmes Complexes - projet XSF)

• École Supérieure de Conception et de Production Industrielle et CNAM (projet AéroDRONES)

40 k€

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The jury of June 2003 : 16 members

– Chairwoman : Mrs Fargeon, DGA

– Ministry of Defence

• DGA (SPMT, CTA) (2), French Army Staff (1)

– French research organisations

• ONERA (2), École des Mines (1)

– European organisations

• Saint-Louis Institute (2), European Spatial Agency (1), Royal Military Academy of Brussels (1), Pisa University (1)

– Manufacturers (4)

• Dassault Aviation, EADS, Sagem, Thales

– + some observers (Ministry of Defence) not having participated in the vote

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The proposed technical solutions

Aerodynamic concepts (1/2) :

• Tilting wing & body (2)

• Coaxial ducted rotors with

cyclic and collective pitch (3)

• Coaxial ducted

rotors with fins (1)

• 4 tilting rotors (1)

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The proposed technical solutions

Aerodynamic concepts (2/2) :

• Ducted main and tail

rotors helicopter (2)

• Fixed wing(s) (2)

• 4 rotors (6)

• Flapping wings (2)California University

• R/C helicopter (1)

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• Computer

The proposed technical solutions

Human-Computer Interaction :

• R/C transmitter • + video glasses

• Graphic tablet with sensitive

screen (« high level »

navigation orders ) • Joystick or « piloting glove »

• Joypad

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The proposed technical solutions

Onboard equipment :

• Motorization : electric or fuel (choice sometimes remaining to make)

• Camera(s) : fixed, directional (1 or 2 axes) or panoramic

• Generally Inertial Measuring Unit + GPS + additional systems

• Rangefinders / obstacles detection : IR, laser, ultrasound, stereoscopy

• Development of sensors / actuators using MEMS technology

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The proposed technical solutions

Specific softwares developments

• Images analysis (environment reconstruction, help for targets or obstacles

detection)

• Often ambitious piloting-navigation function (high level of decision-making

autonomy), requiring a step by step approach « by increasing difficulty levels »

• « AI type » algorithms for navigation

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Comments of the jury

– For the first series of financial contributions, the jury has decided to support the

projects proposing innovative developments (aerodynamics, components,

algorithms...)

• the human and educational means implemented also influenced the choices of the

jury

– But certain projects (even among the first 10 prize-winners !) contain gaps which

it will be necessary to try hard to fill before the final test. It remains in particular to

refine :

• the aerodynamic concepts and the piloting systems

• the choice of numerous components

• the balances of masses, volumes and powers

…and it will be necessary to manage well the available time (only 2 years left !)…

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The continuation

– February 2004 : Second exam of the technical dossiers and allocation of

9 new financial contributions

• The technical solutions should begin to converge (and be more concrete…)

– June-September 2004 : Safety test

• Foreseen during the “JMD 2004” (see final version of the regulation, appendix II)

• Exam of the safety dossiers : will allow the jury to make a technical point one year before the final test and to give the last recommendations

• Demonstration test (optional, public) : will allow the competitors to demonstrate the advancement of their project (and possibly to have the last contacts in case of difficulties)

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Conclusion

The competition is today on the right track

• Important number of competitors

• Ambitious, interesting projects from the organizers’ point of view

but…

• The jury regrets the low foreign participation (however, the application deadline is still far)