P02_Aerial Ornithopter

Designed to minimise bird-induced crop damages, our avian-friendly ornithopter drone with its wing-flapping mechanism emulates the appearance and flight motion of birds of prey. The ornithopter taps into the instinctual fear of other birds, thereby effectively deterring them from damaging crops. A surveillance system is also integrated for remote monitoring to enhance crop management and increase crop harvest.

Team members

Nicholas Andhika Cahyadi (EPD), Ten Wei Lin (EPD), Vedika Sairam Poonamalle (EPD), Julia Anastacia Olib Becker (EPD), Chua Min Pei (DAI), Jedrek Teo Wei Zhi (EPD)

Instructors:

Teo Tee Hui

Writing Instructors:

Susan Wong

Birds cause billions in crop damage each year.

What if we could change that?

Here are many ways to chase birds away from farms, but there are common issues:

Unethical deterrence methods that resort to harming or killing birds.

Repeated, high labour costs, and time. Birds just keep coming back.

Limited accessibility due to high cost of ornithopters on the market.

Let's learn how Alkonost addresses these issues.

Key features:

Bird Deterrence

Camera System

Control System

Ultrasonic speakers emit 22 kHz – 44 kHz to induce auditory discomfort to birds without harming them, whilst being inaudible to humans.

Biomimicry of a bird’s physical appearance triggers the instinctive fear of predators, causing them to leave the location.

Built-in camera with field of vision spanning 155° can capture video footages for farmers to remotely monitor their crops.

Q-ground control with PX4 flight stack allows real-time control over flight and monitoring of critical information to ensure safe and efficient flight operation.

Built with a rigid, Carbon Fibre - PETG shell made to withstand weather and impacts.

All at a price of just $800.

With potential to decrease with optimization from mass manufacturing.

Developed with Biomimicry at the core of the design for efficient flight and maneuvering,
Alkonost's mechanisms include:

Flapping Mechanism

Mimicking the flapping motion of seagulls as closely as possible.

Alkonost features a gearbox with 4 levels of gear reduction at 1:51.04 to optimize power transmission and torque delivery.

With an articulated 4 bar linkage and pivots on wing structure, it enables swivel motions to mimic diving and cruising flight stance.

Tail Mechanism

Controlling pitch and roll of the drone.

Features a 4 bar linkage to actuate tail motion about pitch and roll axis to maintain balance and stability during flight.

Launching Mechanism

Getting the bird into the sky

Alkonost deployment system incorporates an elastic attachment, a winch, and an inclined linear rail.

Together, they guide the Alkonost along a predetermined path to ensure precise control over its deployment trajectory.

View our poster here

In partnership with :

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those who provided us with the opportunity to work on this project.

A special acknowledgement is extended to our industry mentor Mr. Arinze Eze, whose insightful suggestions and encouragement played a crucial role in coordinating our project.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our SUTD mentor, Dr. Teo Tee Hui who guided us through the technical challenges we encountered. His invaluable insights not only inspired us to aim for excellence, but his unwavering encouragement also fortified our determination to succeed. We are profoundly thankful for Dr. Teo’s immeasurable contributions and for his unwavering belief in our potential.

We are also deeply indebted to our CWR mentor Dr. Susan Wong, whose encouragement to improve our writing and communication skills has been invaluable.

Without their support, this project would not be possible. Hence, we would like to extend our deepest thanks to all of them for their effort and support.

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