Week 4 Lab: Meaurements

Last week in class it was too windy to perform any flight plans so we did not even attempt it. Instead we tried to see if we could connect the controller to our quadcopter inside and do some light flyng outside for practice. Everytime we raised the throttle, the drone would fly even at the slightest touch. But when we would release the throttle, our drone would lose connection and would have to be reconnected, proving it to also be very inefficient. So we decided to fly at least next week in at least better weather conditions. Below is a picture of the best image that we obtained in lab.

First Image of Gerri C. LeBow Hall

Instead of flying, we gathered measurements of all facades of the building. We used measuring tape and alternated positions to acquire the lengths of each facade.

Measurements:

The entrance facade: 53'6"
side facing Disque: 196'9"
side facing Bossone: 31' 9"
side facing Market St.: 173' 6"

Week 3 Lab: Surveying

On Monday outside of class of which our group's controller failed to connect to our quadcopter thus allowing it to lose control and fly past Main building to the unknown. Our lab instructors counted is a learning lesson for this week but from now on they expect us to pay for damaged parts as well as missing parts. 

In lab on Thursday, we tried to utilize the digital theodolite only to realize the battery had not been recharged over night. So we decided to come another day to try and use it when it was charged or use an alternative method to measure the height of the building.

Outside of class today at around 8 pm, we used one of the other methods to obtain measurements by a simple trick. I downloaded a protractor app on my phone, we leveled it to the ground straight across from a pole near LeBow Hall. We then used a green laser pointer and pointed it up to the tallest point of the building. We checked to see the angle and it measured to be 72 degrees. From the point that we measured the angle, we then measured the distance from that point to the building. Using a measuring tape, we measured the distance to be 60 feet and 64 inches. Using this angle and distance, we can calculate all other measurements through basic formulas. 

Week 2 Lab: Flight School

In lab during in second week, we trained to fly the drones to gain experience. The drones, also known as the Galaxy Visitor 3 made by Nine Eagles, are built in with a 1280 x 720 camera and Micro SD card to store the pictures. Following the FAA guidelines, we cannot fly it near people and must maintain visual sight at all times. The drone also uses a Li-Po battery which lasts about 10 minutes.

Galaxy Visitor 3 (GSV 3)

We went outside to a small lawn across Bossone to begin to practice. It was a cloudy day so we were unsure of whether or not the drones would fly well so it was a trial in cloudy weather. Each team spread out across the lawn so that we would have space to fly the drones. We immediately had issues when we had to calibrate the drone with our controller. Many teams were calibrated to other drones and we could not start to fly until they were calibrated to our own controller. Finally after making sure that all other groups were either already calibrated or their controllers were turned off, we calibrated our drone and began to practice flying it. Sena Savaskan and Maria Alfaro flew the drones for a majority of our lab period. They mostly practiced trying to hover the drones in the air. Many times, it was uncontrollable as Sena did not use the remote to maneuver it and only lifted the throttle yet it still flew in unintended directions. To gain more experience with the drone, our first assignment is to form a 3D model of any object after obtaining images by flying.

Week 1: Proposal

This week, we worked together to create our Project Proposal. We have decided to create a 3D model of Drexel's College of Business, Gerri C. LeBow Hall. 

          Gerri C. LeBow Hall

     LeBow Hall is one of Drexel University's tallest buildings, being 12 stories high and occupying 177,500-square-feet. The building’s light stonework and glass exterior exude elements of what is to come in future Drexel buildings. LeBow Hall is unique in its architectural design as it has a staircase effect on the right side with levels protruding from the exterior as opposed to a simple, 4-sided rectangular prism.  The glass portion is the highlight of this building in its ability for students to walk past it and see the inside from a glance. In addition, his building's solar shading devices allow for great transparency between the inside and outside which also supports its sustainable design. 

     Over the course of the next 9 weeks, we will have to survey the surrounding area, map a flight plan for the drones that we'll use to take pictures, generate a 3D model and finally 3D print and assemble our model. The flight plan and assembly for this project seems to be very challenging as there are several facades to this building. Next week, we plan on discussing each individual's role in this project as well as other goals. Overall, this is an exciting project that we are looking forward to.

For more information on this building check out: 

http://www.lebow.drexel.edu/about/glance