Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group WARG Mandate: The Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group is a team of University of Waterloo students who, with the support of our sponsors, are developing a series of fully autonomous flying robots for entry into the International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC). The objective of this multi-year competition is to push the envelope of technology by seriously challenging students to accomplish near-impossible mission objectives. The goal is to build a fleet of air vehicles capable of flying three kilometers, identifying target buildings, entering the structures and navigating inside to obtain visual reconnaissance information. This must be done within a period of 15 minutes and without any human intervention.

WARG & Education Primary Objective: Education of our members “Students Teaching Students” Hands on learning experience with the design and construction Weekly “Technology Reviews” Systems are designed by the entire team Nothing is built without a Design Review

What WARG Members Have to Say “WARG has given me the opportunity to apply class material to real world applications, as well as learn new skills that won’t be taught in class until 3 rd or 4 th year. It has been an excellent opportunity to work in a fast paced, technical team on cutting edge technology. My experience with WARG has peaked my interest in automated control systems, and I believe my experience will help me to get jobs in this field in the future.”  Chris Fox, 2A Computer Engineering

What WARG Members Have to Say “Through my work with WARG I have been exposed to real world, cutting edge engineering problems. For me, this has entailed design work, project management and leadership challenges. This is a natural extension of the engineering curriculum and has been highly beneficial to furthering my understanding and abilities.”  Sebastian Peleato, 1A Mechatronics Engineering

WARG Quick Facts 40 active students each term 5 Vehicles: Ducted fan, airplane, helicopter, parachute, ground “bug” vehicle Featured twice on the Discovery Channel this fall Demonstrated partial autonomy at 2003 competition (technology developed in under 3 months)

WARG in the Community Displaying technology at 2 conferences this winter: Canadian Student Summit on Aerospace, Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference Assisting Crescent High School develop new curriculum in robotics Mentoring Waterloo Collegiate Institute FIRST robotics team for 2004 season

IARC Competition Requirements All levels must be without any human control LEVEL 1: Fly a three kilometer course around a series of GPS waypoints LEVEL 2: Locate a building within a city that has a visual symbol, find an open window on that building LEVEL 3: Enter this building, find and relay specific reconnaissance information back to the base station LEVEL 4: Complete Level 1, 2 and 3 in under 15 minutes

Current State of WARG We are in the process of designing a number of new technologies We also have a number of fully developed technologies  Have displayed partial autonomy on all aspects of the small fixed wing aircraft Heading & Speed Control at 2003 IARC Competition Height Control was displayed last Sunday Plan to test full control for the first time this Sunday

Current State of WARG Our systems are either fully designed and purchased (ducted fan, small fixed wing airplane), or are in the early design stages (parachute, bug vehicle, large fixed wing airplane) Our new designs will not be finalized until the end of January WARG is requesting $10,000 from WEEF to fund our development of these systems Are new designs are deliberately modular  This will allow us to utilize the same parts in different vehicles, reducing the amount of funding we will need in the future

WARG Technologies Ducted Fan  VTOL indoor/outdoor aircraft Small Fixed Wing Airplane  Able to fly through GPS waypoints Autonomous Parachute  Can follow a specific path after being dropped from a plane Vision System  Capable of locating objects and perceiving their depth

WARG Technologies Large Fixed Wing Airplane:  Capable of flying complex flight paths  Carries vision system  Drops parachute system at various locations Helicopter  Flies outdoor search and rescue missions Indoor Ground Vehicle “The Bug”  Follows simplistic search paths  Takes photos at ‘waist level’ using a scissor lift

Thanks to All WARG’s Sponsors: Alvarion Analog Devices Handshake Interactive IEEE Canada NavTech NovAtel MechWorks Systems MicroStrain Moller RIM WEEF QNX