Rapid design and manufacturing of task-specific autonomous paragliders using 3D printing

This paper explores a paraglider unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) concept, using rapid design and payload manufacturing techniques to achieve task specific functions. Autonomous fixed wing, multi-rotor and mono-rotor vehicles require prolonged durations of design, manufacturing and tuning to obtain reliable UAVs. Using 3D printing on the meter-scale, we are able to rapidly integrate sensors and alternative payloads into the suspended fuselage of the paraglider. Additive manufacturing has allowed complex designs to be created which provide greater strength and versatility at lower costs compared to the traditional machining method. This manufacturing type has allowed us to produce weekly prototypes for testing. The latest parafoils have yielded higher airspeeds and stable collapse recovery behavior making them interesting for UAV use beyond dirigeable parachutes. The pendulum nature of the platform is self-stabilizing and allows the discrete proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to adapt based on mass alteration of the suspended body. We describe modular designs, stabilization algorithms and applications in the imaging of cultural heritage sites for conservation.