AirBuoy-I UAV Systems Engineering
Designing and deploying UAV platforms from the ground up — integrating airframes, avionics, autonomy stacks, and sensor payloads — and validate them through rigorous flight testing. My work combines systems engineering with hands-on prototyping, bridging hardware and AI for robust autonomous operations.
Airframe & Hardware
Modified Holybro X650 frame into SkyBuoy-I for maritime operations. Structure uses carbon fiber composites and aluminium reinforcement at high-stress junctions.
Integrated propulsion system (motors, ESCs) tuned for endurance and stable hover. 15-inch carbon fiber propellers balance thrust efficiency with vibration damping in high-load conditions.
Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW): 6.0 kg, with an available 3.5 kg payload capacity for flight computer, hydrophones, sensors, or auxiliary modules.
6S 10000 mAh LiPo battery chosen to balance power with additional load, yielding approximately 20 minutes of flight time in normal conditions.
Avionics & Telemetry
Flight Control: PX4 flight stack tuned for VTOL transitions and autonomous waypointing.
Onboard Autonomy: NVIDIA Jetson Nano running ROS2 nodes for navigation and telemetry logging.
Communications: Built LoRa telemetry links and integrated redundant 4G/5G backhaul for real-time data streaming.
Ground Systems: Developed MAVLink-based dashboards for mission planning and post-flight analysis.
Autonomy and Control
Waypoint Navigation: Executing multi-point missions with altitude transitions and precision landings.
Return-to-Home: Verified autonomous recovery during simulated comms loss.
Precision Landing: AprilTag + LiDAR fusion achieving <10 cm accuracy.
Swarm Robotics: Early coordination trials for multi-UAV payload deployments.
Resilient Autonomy: Hardened scripts for persistence (nohup resilience under SSH disconnect).
Sensors and Perception
Multi-Sensor Fusion: Integrated TF-mini-S LiDAR, GPS M10, and AprilTags/ArUco for localization.
Embedded AI: Deployed YOLO + PyTorch/OpenCV pipelines on Jetson for real-time aerial perception.
Ocean Payloads: Calibrated hydrophone arrays for 1–10 m underwater acoustic sensing.
