A remote-controlled aerial and aquatic drone

• Main Authors: Ong, Mervin Carson L., Ong, Ranzel U., Rama, Alvaro Martin M., Wang, Olivia Iris P., Yu, Jim Harvey C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2017
• Subjects: Drone aircraft; Remote submersibles
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/6732
• Institution: De La Salle University

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, have been increasing over the past few years due to their uses in aerial photography and videography, surveillance, and for delivery. Given these uses, a drone capable of maneuvering through air and underwater will provide more versatility. To build this drone, both flying and underwater mechanisms should be integrated without compromising its performance and surveillance ability. In this study, a water-resistant quadcopter equipped with a flight controller, two electronic speed controllers, eight brushless motors, one servo motor, a slip ring, and a liquid level switch is used. Both aerial and underwater movement are possible with the use of the liquid level switch sensor connected to a circuit board that switches in between aerial and underwater motors. The drone can provide a livestream video in both environments allowing the pilot and viewers to view at a safe distance. Experiments show that the drone reached average speeds of 2.3m/s for horizontal flight, 3.15m/s for vertical flight, 0.68m/s for underwater horizontal movement, and 0.08m/s for underwater vertical movement. Although the aerial movement is stable, underwater movement will need additional improvements. Results show that the application of a drone capable of maneuvering both through air and underwater is possible and would lead to further innovations in the field of this study.