1. Ethical/Environmental Analysis Team 12
FlySpy
Ethical/Environmental Analysis
Team 12

2. Project Recap Unmanned aerial vehicle GPS-guided autonomous operation
Takes photographs at defined waypoints
Give a brief project recap (no more than 30 seconds)

3. Consumer Safety Risks Types: Possible consequences:
Total loss (plane crashes)
Manual control loss (plane flies “into the wild blue yonder”, then crashes)
“Finger in prop” human error
Possible consequences:
Damaged or lost plane
Human injury from collision/prop
Consumer safety risks:
Total loss of control. The plane loses both autopilot and manual control and spirals out of control, probably into the ground.
Manual control loss: Plane flies away into “the wild blue yonder” under autonomous control until the battery runs out and it crashes
“Finger in prop” error: Accidentally or (heaven forbid) on purpose, some part of a human body enters the prop arc while it is powered up.
Consequences:
Plane crash could damage the airframe or electronics, requiring repair or replacement. Also, the plane could get stuck in a tree or crash land in an inaccessible area, or the user might lose sight of the plane entirely.
The plane could collide with a human, or lacerate someone with the prop.

4. Safety risk mitigation
Dedicated PWM channel on controller hooked to dedicated multiplexer
Board powered + RX intact -> manual control can be maintained
Warning sticker near prop
Prop arc visibility markings
User manual warnings
Strongly suggest taking lessons before operating the plane
A PWM channel, controlled by a switch on the transmitter, is filtered entirely in hardware unconnected to the microchip to control a multiplexer, which switches whether the microcontroller or the receiver signals are passed on to the control surfaces.
As long as the board is powered and the receiver/transmitter are intact, manual control can be restored.
As for “finger in prop” errors, a warning sticker could be placed near the prop to emphasize the danger. We could also take a cue from Team 8 (OCHO) and mark the ends of the prop blades, as they are otherwise difficult to see while spinning. This would make the user more aware of where the prop arc is. The user manual will also warn of the danger.
RC planes are not trivial to fly, and it is strongly recommended that a new pilot learn from an instructor, perhaps through a local hobby group. The user manual would also emphasize this suggestion.

5. Environmental concerns I
Airframe material: Elapor (“Styrofoam on steroids”)
Non-recyclable
BUT: Difficult to damage, easily repaired with glue/tape
May end up in environment due to plane loss or improper disposal.
As for environmental concerns, they are primarily related to the materials used in the electronics and in the airframe itself.
The airframe is constructed from a substance similar to Styrofoam, called Elapor. Like all plastic foams, this material is difficult to recycle. However, it is also very robust, and breaks in the airframe are easy to repair with glue or tape, so damage is unlikely to require disposal of the frame.
If the plane is lost, however, the Elapor will end up in the environment, where it will not biodegrade.

6. Environmental concerns II
Electronic components:
Mostly RoHS-compliant, or variants exist that are
RoHS may affect reliability, however
Highly recyclable; nothing “weird”
Several of the electronic components in our prototype are already lead-free; with some minor part reselection and use of lead-free solder, the entire board could probably easily be redesigned to minimize use of heavy metals and other toxins.
However, lead-free solder is known to affect reliability over several years, and since our plane is meant to be usable for many years of hobby service, this could become an issue.
The electronics used are simple solid-state devices, capacitors, and resistors, making the electronics about as easy to recycle as a comptuer motherboard.

7. Ethical Concerns Civil privacy / police use Possible military use:
Unarmed
Reconnaissance only
Since our plane is an aerial photography platform, an obvious application is spying, legal or otherwise. There are few technical means for us to really impede the user from putting FlySpy to illegitimate use; we have to rely on the legal system for that.
FlySpy has obvious military utility; drones like it are already in use by the USA. Our craft does not carry armament at all, however, being purely a reconnaissance platform. It may be used indirectly for warfare, but it is not a weapon by itself.
Any questions?