The challenge
The IMAV 2025 project brief set out a goal of fully autonomous operations: a drone that can fly, navigate and complete tasks using limited resources. The team aimed to understand the technology from the ground up and build on experience from previous competitions.
From takeoff to landing
The intended mission required sensor analysis, navigation and flight control to work without manual pilot input after takeoff. Reliable integration of the hardware, electronics and software was central to the design.
Testing in simulation and in real flight was part of the approach, especially when evaluating how the system responds to difficult conditions and operational deviations.
Building for future teams
Documentation, maintainable software and repeatable development processes help each project build on earlier work. The brief emphasized solutions that future teams could understand, test and improve.
Explore the engineering
- Computer vision, data analysis and localization.
- Flight control and autonomous navigation.
- Simulation and flight testing.
- Mechanical design, electronics and system integration.
Read about IMAV 2024 for the development experience that informed this brief, or explore team opportunities.