13 Jun 2023
Chantelle Singh is the 2023 recipient of Engineering New Zealand’s Francis Small Scholarship administered by the University of Auckland. She will use the grant to develop a standardised test to measure the dexterity of over-actuated drones – drones that move in complex ways – for her Masters of Engineering Research in Mechatronics Engineering.
Drones are used to perform activities that are repetitive or dangerous for people – like parcel delivery, crop inspection, searching restricted areas, or making repairs to chemical plants.
Chantelle Singh. Photo: Chantelle Singh
Some of these drones have over-actuated systems, which means they have more motors to control the direction and degree of twisting, pitch and roll. But the sophistication of these drones often means they are expensive to develop and deploy.
Dexterity tests allow better comparison and development of aerial drones with over-actuation mechanisms. Chantelle’s research will focus on developing a set of standardised tests for these drones.
I’m grateful to the Engineering New Zealand Foundation and the legacy of Francis Small for this scholarship...
Over-actuated drone in action in the Motion Capture Lab at the University of Auckland. Photo: Chantelle Singh
“I’ll be using the university’s Motion Capture Lab to find a standardised way to measure dexterity and develop tests that any researcher can use to determine the dexterity of their drones,” she says.
Improving the overall performance of drones, can make them more affordable, increase task accuracy and safety, and reduce issues with human error.
Chantelle says, “I hope this research will help contribute to engineering and solve many existing problems with current drones.
“I’m grateful to the Engineering New Zealand Foundation and the legacy of Francis Small for this scholarship – it’s really going to make a huge difference to my ability to focus on my studies.”
An overactuated drone with eight rotors (four on top, four underneath). Photo: Chantelle Singh
The Francis Small Scholarship was established in 2015 by Dr Francis Small, who graduated with a ME and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Auckland. This led to a successful career where he became the Managing Director of New Zealand Rail and Tranz Rail Ltd. The scholarship alternates each year between the University of Auckland and the University of Canterbury, and is valued at $20,000.00. Read about previous scholarship recipient Sam Archie
