SpinTOL: Research and Development of a Highly Efficient UAV

November 2022 - April 2024

Fusion 360 3D Printing PCB Design Simulink Kalman Filter PID Control

Technical Highlights

CAD & Mechanical Design

Designed all airframe iterations in Autodesk Fusion 360, utilizing parametric modeling for rapid design iteration and structural optimization of wing geometry and hub assemblies.

Additive Manufacturing

Fabricated lightweight structural components using FDM 3D printing, optimizing print orientation and infill patterns to balance structural integrity with weight constraints critical for flight performance.

Custom PCB Development

Designed and manufactured custom flight computer PCBs to integrate sensors, motor drivers, and microcontrollers into a compact avionics package. See the Minmus flight computer →

Rigid-Body Dynamics Simulation

Developed MATLAB Simulink Multibody models to simulate the Dzhanibekov effect and validate rotational dynamics, enabling predictive analysis of spin-stabilized flight behavior before physical testing.

Sensor Fusion & State Estimation

Implemented an extended Kalman filter for IMU sensor fusion, providing accurate attitude estimation under high rotational rates and dynamic flight conditions.

Flight Control System

Modified the dRehmFlight VTOL flight controller library to implement a fading PID control loop, enabling smooth transitions between spin-stabilized hover and forward flight modes.

Awards

  • 2024: Massachusetts Region IV Science and Engineering Fair: First Place (Top 4/143 Projects)
  • 2024: 75th Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair: First Place (Top 15/270 Projects)
  • 2023: 74th Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair: Honorable Mention

Description

A hybrid between a fixed-wing aircraft, quadcopter, and a fixed-wing aircraft, SpinTOL is a versatile Vertical Take-Off and Landing aerial vehicle I designed, tested, and submitted to science fairs. After winning First Place Award at MSEF in April, 2024, I have been working on SpinTOL's flight computer, Minmus. Check out Minmus on my home page!

Read the Write-up
Watch Test Flights

Gallery

First prototype (December 2022)

First prototype (December 2022)

First prototype (December 2022)

First prototype (December 2022)

First prototype (December 2022)

First prototype (December 2022)

Second Prototype (Jan-Feb 2023)

Second Prototype (Jan-Feb 2023)

Second Prototype (Jan-Feb 2023)

Second Prototype (Jan-Feb 2023)

Second Prototype (Jan-Feb 2023) indoors testing stand

Second Prototype (Jan-Feb 2023) indoors testing stand

Second Prototype Flying (Feb 2023)

Second Prototype Flying (Feb 2023)

Third Prototype (April 2023)

Third Prototype (April 2023)

My friend dodging the crash

My friend dodging the crash

Third Prototype broken after the crash

Third Prototype broken after the crash

Third Prototype Flying (April 2023)

Third Prototype Flying (April 2023)

Fourth Prototype (Jun 2023)

Fourth Prototype (Jun 2023)

Fourth Prototype Wing Printing (Jun 2023)

Fourth Prototype Wing Printing (Jun 2023)

Actively controlled indoor spinning flight (August 2023)

Actively controlled indoor spinning flight (August 2023)