Final Proyect

Proyect Idea

My final project consists of a radio controled VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) Vehicle built from scratch. It merges the physics of a hovercraft with the agility of a drone using four vertical turbines. These turbines are mounted on a tilting mechanism (thrust vectoring), allowing the vehicle to do air movement.

The system is powered by an ESP32-C3 and controlled via a custom-made control gloves, providing a more intuitive pilot interface.

Initial Prototype Sketch

After various ideas, I made the first sketch of the prototipe, detailing the turbine placement and the integration of the 3D-printed chassis.

Fig 1. Functional diagram: 4-axis thrust vectoring and electronics layout.

Challenges

Building a vehicle from zero involves complex challenges in programming for stabilization, 3D design for mechanical endurance and post-processing. I am documenting every iteration, failure, and improvement in my repository to showcase the engineering cycle. Key challenges include:

• Managing the center of gravity to stabilization in the air.
• Latency reduction between the glove and the drone.
• Power efficiency with heavy LiPo batteries.

2D and 3D Modeling

The frame is designed for 3D printing with post-processing.

Example of my Bill of Materials (BOM)

Core components for the hybrid vehicle and the control glove.