Daedalus
Students teach zeppelins how to fly
Zeppelins are normally controlled manually. As this is quite complicated and there are fewer and fewer people who are able to do so, the students use the Arduino platform to program small on-board computers to be sent up into the air. One of the difficulties is the limited capacity. Small indoor blimps – each one capable of lifting a maximum of 100 grams – are available for experiments. The gondola is equipped with innovative sensors such as a GPS system and inertial sensors. A pan-tilt camera ensures the best performance taking on-board videos.
Four blimps available for flights
Daedalus has already recorded its first triumphs. The programmed zeppelin has already managed to fly autonomously a circle of 5 meters in diameter. Now the students are fine-tuning the tiny on-board computer. All together, there are four airships available at the Institute for Data Processing. The largest one is seven meters long, made of white nylon, holds nine cubic meters of gas and can be loaded with weights up to 2.5 kg. The three smaller ones are about one meter in length. They are all filled with helium.
Currently, Daedalus is the only project in Germany involving a team of students working on airship controls. 40 to 50 students are taking part. Feldmaier, the supervisor, is a doctoral candidate. As he spent his childhood in Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance, he practically "grew up" with zeppelins.
If you want to join Daedalus, please get in touch by e-mail: daedalus@ei.tum.de.