UPEI ARA HoverGames Challenge II Submission

Introduction

The autonomous robotics and applications society at the University of Prince Edward Island was formed in September 2020 to participate in the HoverGames Challenge. The team consists of engineering students in various years of study, all who share an interest in drone applications. The team entered the challenge with the mindset to learn more about drones, programming, and different ways to apply these technologies. Although the team encountered many hurdles to overcome throughout the challenge, the team was able to develop new ideas and skills by participating in the HoverGames Challenge II.

Project Ideation

The team initially developed two different potential applications for this challenge: helping others during a pandemic. One idea was using the drone to heat map large gatherings to create public alerts about the current population at the event. This would allow the public to be more aware of how many people are currently at an event and make an informed decision about attending. The second potential idea was delivering self testing kits remotely to reduce contact between people exposed to COVID-19 and medical staff. These ideas are discussed further below.

Heat Map Sensing Drone

Due to COVID-19, events and large pop-up gatherings (festivals, farmer's markets, sports tournaments, etc.) are a challenge due to the higher possibility of spread and a challenge to maintain social distancing. It’s the lack of social distancing at these types of events that could increase the spread of the disease and further increase the severity of the pandemic. The proposed solution to this problem is a drone equipped with an infrared thermal camera to track population dense areas using heat detecting technology. The heat detected area will be then translated to a map of the surrounding area for people nearby to review and make informed decisions about attending such events. A population density map will be created to visually represent the population at the event. The hardware and software required will be a camera with infrared capabilities, a transmitter to transfer the images made by the camera (via bluetooth or WiFi), and a machine learning algorithm to associate heat distribution with an estimated population.

Mobile Support for COVID-19 Self-Testing

A large issue in the current COVID-19 testing protocol is the large volume of contact between medical staff and people receiving tests. The team proposed using the drone to deliver self test kits directly to patients’ doors. This would be accomplished by medical staff driving to the homes of those who require a test. The drone would then fly from the road and drop the test kit at the door of the home. The testee would take the kit inside and test themself, then put the test kit back on the drone. The drone would then fly back to the vehicle and proceed to the next house. This would be accomplished by using 3D printing extra structural components to house the test kit, as well as programming the drone to deliver the test kit to the door and return it to the vehicle after testing.

Project Progress

Initial Assembly

After receiving the drone in September, the team took to assembling it. Assembling the drone was a great experience to help the team understand the different components of the drone and how they function.