ITB Ciptakan Pesawat Pengintai Tanpa Awak
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Surveillance drones are no longer the preserve of foreign technology. Indonesia can also manufacture them using equally sophisticated technology, as demonstrated by the Octorotor team, students from the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI) at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).
They succeeded in making an unmanned surveillance aircraft, which can follow the target. With the name Octorotor UAV for Visual Target Tracking. According to one of the makers, Noviantoro Sadewo, 33, this aircraft with a diameter of about 40 cm is a combination of image processing and aircraft control. "The image is produced by a camera on the front of the aircraft, used to control the aircraft," he said at the STEI Students Innovation Expo event at the ITB East Campus Center Auditorium, Jalan Ganeca, Bandung City, yesterday. He explained, first the camera measuring about 5 cm takes a picture of the object, then it is stored in a database. The surveillance aircraft above the object continues to spy while matching the features of the target.
This plane has eight propellers of varying lengths. Four of the propeller support iron frames are longer, while the other four are shorter. In addition, each propeller rotates differently. The long frame propeller rotates to the right and the shorter frame rotates to the left. "This is so that the plane is balanced. It doesn't just rotate to the right or left so that it flies stably," explained the Master's student majoring in Electrical Control. Noviantoro explained that a plane with eight propellers is much stronger. Initially, the Octorotor team made a plane with four propellers, but it could only lift a load of 1 kg. While with eight propellers it can lift a load of 2 kg.
"In addition, it uses eight propellers, if one of them is damaged, there are still 7 propellers. So the plane can still survive, if only 4 propellers the plane immediately falls," he said. While showing every detail of the plane, he said, the control of the plane that resembles an octopus has a control center at the top, which is covered in transparent plastic. Consisting of navigation, GPS, compass, and flight control so that the tilt can be controlled around 15 degrees. For its operation, this plane does not use a remote control, but during takeoff and landing it still uses a remote control. "Our technology is not that far, we are afraid that if we do not use a remote when landing the plane will be destroyed," he said.
In collaboration with LAPAN, this aircraft, built in 2010, was completed in approximately eight months. Worked on by six students, the project included image processing, modeling, aerodynamics, and navigation. Based on these principles, this aircraft can be developed for military purposes. However, further development is needed, both in terms of technology and design. "Everything can still be developed, because we are currently in the research process," he added.
ASITA ULFAH
Bandung
Source: http://www.seputar-indonesia.com/edisicetak/content/view/397745/