At least, that is the student team’s ultimate dream. Since 2022, different students have worked on this project part-time each academic year, with every board setting its own goals. The team of Ivan Vincze, Electrical Engineering student and Aero’s current team leader, focuses on the Battery-Swap Mechanism. “We realize that TU/e’s strengths are mainly in control systems and robotics, and not so much in aviation. There are already great drones out there and we don’t want to reinvent the wheel,” says Vincze. The Hungarian student knows that finding a suitable battery swap system is less straightforward. “They do exist, but they’re positioned side by side, which is very inconvenient when it comes to maintaining balance in the air. We want to have the batteries on top of each other for a stable center of mass.”

That is why Aero is focusing on the docking system and control technology this year. “It’s important for the two drones to fly closely side by side before they latch onto each other. And detaching the full and empty batteries is also a complex process that we need to work out.” The team leader is visibly proud of all the team members. “I think it’s impressive that we were able to develop this version of the battery swap system. We’re only students, after all, not senior engineers.”

Every Monday, some 20 Team Aero engineers work on the acquired drones and the battery swap mechanism in Momentum. Most of them are part-time members who also need to pass their courses. Showing off a working prototype in innoSpace is another step in the long process of making their dream a reality.