Discussions

PREAMBLE

I'm feeling the time is nigh to do a bizarre project I didn't have the will to do while studying at NYU’s ITP program in 2006-2008. AT ITP we worked with Arduinos and processing as basic training for all manner of interactive arts. The project lurks, mocking me, and I’m not getting any younger. And the UAV, drone, quadracopter world seems to have matured so much since then, especially the flight control software! But it’s been years that I was into Arduinos, and I’m not an RC hobbyist, so permit a relative newbie in your midst.

QUESTION

I’m looking for suggestions on parts to consider ordering.

I want to make a spherical prototype craft, about the size of a soccer ball, that can maneuver in a zero-g. But zero-g with atmosphere, such as in the International Space Station. Thus, fans can be used vs. rockets. There, I said it. Wacky, I know, but it just won’t go away...

It's a cross between a:

• Hexicopter, (but way less powerful fans.)

• Sub-micro blimp kit

• Arduino blimp

But with some interesting further constraints.

1. Craft is a 10” to 12” (probably styrofoam) hollow sphere

2. Maneuverability in zero-g, in all directions. So there needs either six (8?) fans, or three fans with straight blades so they can reverse thrust and be mounted inside a tube (to provide six directions of thrust).

3. Fans must be flush mounted in the sphere’s shell, thus ducted fans are needed.

4. Arduino/battery can be attached to sphere on outside.

5. RC controlled, no autonomous flight needed for this prototype

6. Fans need only be able to be turned on and off, no variable speed needed.

7. Thrust can be very light, as in a micro blimp

8. Flight time about 15 minutes. But often floating with no fans going.

9. I’ll probably test it first using helium balloons to create neutral buoyancy.

10. Not too expensive. I work for a small college, with a small paycheck.

11. Durable and able to consistently work when needed. But I won’t be flying it much, obviously.

12. I realize that #10 and #11 might be mutually exclusive.

I was theorizing that I could use the ArduCopter software, with ducted fan jets from those RC planes, but I’m having trouble finding fans that have a light thrust, or reversible thrust and the RC platforms/controllers don’t seem as accepting of multiple engines above 2. I’m hesitant to build my own ducted fans when there’s so many out there with cool housings, but I’m open to using PVC tubes and hardware to do that too.

If this gets too complex, I would currently favor using the Sub-micro blimp kit and just housing those three fans in tubes and using straight blades for two-way thrust.

Eventually I would also like to hook up a vibrating motor, flywheel, and accelerometer...but that’s a ways off.

I’ve found foam spheres through, baby steps.