Need Ideas

[topde]

Hello,
I need Ideas for building my project for “Deployable low cost outdoor surveillance system” I was thinking for building a deployable flying robot with remote image sensor and sound sensor.

[fhhuber506771]

Low cost and automated are pretty well mutually exclusive at this time.

The lowest cost outdoor surveilence system would be to get some of the Raidentek.com wireless video cameras and a VCR.

Adding remote control or automated tilt-swivel to the cameras to cover more area (such as just slowly rotating the camera 360 deg) would ad marginaly to the cost.

Then adding RC to fly the camera around wouldn't bee too bad. You can mount one of the small wireless cameras on an appx 2 lb model with ease... The GWS Slow Stick under 1 lb ready to fly) could also handle it (but many other planes that light would have problems with the added weight)

Trying to make it into a mini "UAV" flying itself around.... would get expensive fast. Adding the motion and sound sensing systems to the guidance package would add substantially to the cost and complexity.

[j.m.]

My local college, NCSU, has an autonomous A/C club.

They spent $20,000 on an 8' Telemaster that can barely take off and land on it's own.
But once it's up, it does fine. I think it's because they don't want to risk breaking the plane on landing.

[fhhuber506771]

Take-off and landing should be the easy part... FF modelers have had plenty of success with making thier planes take of and land without any electronic assistance for over 60 years.

[Airboatflyingshp]

try over a hundred, search for Edwardian aeromodels.......... they were ahead of the real things a bit like model yatchs untill WW2. As for control well free flight control was achived by rubberband driven escapements and later clockwork ones... now they use electronic versions.

For your progect I would start with a large steerable kite or a build a SPAD simple plastic aroplane design using correx or blue foam delta like a Mugi but larger or if you pick a delta try an Avro Vulcan plan form with a pusher motor at the rear.