Be it those dreams to conquer the sky or the lavishing idea of having bots which would drastically cut down on human efforts, Flying and Robotics are certainly the engineering marvels whose fruits mankind continues to cherish. FARC is a place full of dreamers, living every day alongside the dream to be the pioneer in the field of aviation and robotics. The club finds its roots in the 1970’s, but it acquired its current status in 2015 . Since its emergence in NITK, the club has witnessed some truly remarkable events, achievements and inspiring alumni who continue to fuel the present FARC team. The whole team works under the unparalleled guidance of our Faculty Advisor Pruthviraj U. The team houses 4 main SIGs – RoboCode, RoboTronix, RoboTorque, and AeroWing, with the media and marketing team being DigiMedia.
It is that part of the year when we open the doors of FARC to those fueled with passion and enthusiasm for flying and/or robotics. Here we are providing glimpses of all the exciting stuff happening in FARC.
- Rocket Propulsion and systems:
Have you been awe struck by the SpaceX launches, the sight of the first stage booster going from a ballistic trajectory to a retro-propelled landing? Are you interested in the Aerospace sector but don’t have an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and skills?
You needn’t worry! FARC brings to you the opportunity you’ve been longing for through this project. Every space endeavor has started with a simple single stage rocket design and through intensive testing, optimization, flight computer integration and gradually increasing rocket size, complexity and staging, mankind was ultimately able to reach the moon and explore cold, distant worlds of our solar system.
We intend to give a fair shot at rocketry through an extensively laid out project from solid propellant rockets to aerospike.
- Improving aircraft efficiency by elimination of landing gear:
Ever wondered about the weight of the landing gear while travelling on an aircraft? Generally, the landing gear in a Boeing 787-9 Dream Liner would weigh about 7620.33 kilograms. It is common knowledge that fuel usage for an aircraft is directly related to the total load carried. Considering the high air freight rates in aviation, wouldn’t it be ideal if we could instantly remove 2.5 to 5% of the take-off weight by eliminating the landing gear? Would this be a feasible feat to achieve?
Through this project, we’ll be exploring the possibility of a novel take-off and landing mechanism using ground-based systems. The highlight of this system will be the reduction of fuel consumption and weight through the complete removal of landing gear from civilian and military aircraft.
- Autopilot system and control for RC planes:
The RC plane universe is unique in itself. It takes real skill to control the aircraft from the ground point of view compared to a pilot’s point of view. Military application of this is on a much advanced level where control over UAVs used for reconnaissance is difficult from regions far away. In such cases the aircraft needs to run solidarity on autopilot.
Through this project, you’d explore the basics of flight characteristics and stability that are needed for level flight. From take-off to all the way to landing. Furthermore, you’d also have the opportunity to get hands on into building and seeing your own RC plane soar the skies as it operates autonomously.
- Aquatic robotics:
Ever wondered how unmanned vehicles that dive deep into the oceans looking for ship wreckage or mapping the ocean floor survive harsh pressure conditions and transmit data back to the surface? Have you dreamt of making such a vehicle of your own and search for lost treasures on ocean beds?
This project aims to make a bio-inspired fish robot which can be modified for special applications. The aim for this project is to make such a robot with basic movements to maneuver in the aquatic environment. This will be an Eel inspired fish robot which will perform the Anguilliform propulsion mechanism to move around. The potential applications are Aquatic Environment Survey and Ocean Floor Mapping.
- Robotic Arm:
Robotic Arms, one of the most popular and in demand robots of this generation enabling and achieving a wide variety of impossible tasks in just a matter of seconds. Control of such machines are usually done using hard coding of actuators to produce the required behaviors but imagine merging the capabilities of Augmented and Virtual Reality and creating a universal machine capable of replicating a human hand without the need of prior coding.
Enter, AR Controlled Robotic Arm, with an aim to make a robotic arm which is entirely operated in a remote manner by allowing its movements to be coupled with the user’s actions. The scope of this project is to enable and develop remote operations which can be used for military as well as commercial applications.
- Swarm Intelligence:
As a group, even while having simple creatures following simple rules, one can display a surprising amount of complexity, efficiency, and even creativity. Known as swarm intelligence, this trait is found throughout nature. Want to understand the working and complexity behind such behaviors and possibly create one of your own? FARC has got you covered.
This project aims to study and develop mechanics and algorithms for utilization of decentralized communication in swarm intelligence in search and rescue operations. Furthermore, it also extends its deliverable to a broad timeline so as to provide a platform for studying and analysis of swarm behaviors in different environments and return feedback.
Through this project you’d explore the fields of Area Coverage, Target Detection, and Coordinated Locomotion of the swarm.
- Innovative Cardiovascular Stent:
With an aim to contribute to not only military and industrial growth, we at FARC care about the medical applications of robotics as well. An attempt to introduce the design and development of a Cardio-Vascular Stent, this project focuses on the development of stent used for treating Coronary artery disease to compete with the currently at the top, Drug-eluting stents.
We aim to improve the mechanical properties by making geometric alterations to various designs in order to reduce the incidence of abrupt vessel closure and restenosis due to plaque formation. Furthermore, by iterative developments and optimizations, we also aim to achieve less recoil and high flexibility for accurate placement of the stent through balloon angioplasty.
- Mars Rover:
July 31st this year saw the launch of the 2020 Mars Perseverance Rover with MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilisation Experiment) on-board. It takes anywhere between 3 to 22 minutes for information from Earth to reach Mars (one way). With such impediments, mankind was able to send rovers from Pathfinder to Curiosity to Mars, still control it and enable it to transmit useful data back to Earth, 71 million kilometers away.
Here’s a chance for you to gain insight and experience, to determine whether humans can safely traverse and explore the surface of Mars, by attempting to build your own rover.
- Hexa Pedal bot:
We at FARC believe that there are endless possibilities in the field of robotics, with the sky being the limit. Inspired by the the versatility of 6-legged insects, the Hexa-pedal Bot, is an attempt to design and simulate the working of their mechanism.
Through this project, we will explore the possibilities and capabilities of such multi-legged robotics and aim to bring about a change in their behaviors when maneuvering on challenging terrains as well as get hands on with their development.
SOME SOFTWARES WE WILL DEAL WITH, WORKING ON THE MENTIONED PROJECTS
- MATLAB AND SIMULINK
- ANSYS
- 3D MODELLING LIKE SOLIDWORKS
- GAZEBO
- OPENROCKET
- ROCKET PROPULSION ANALYSIS
- FLIGHT GEAR
- ROS
- XFLR 5
FARC is a place where diverse talents are appreciated and sought after. Apart from aviation and robotics enthusiasts, we’re providing an opportunity to those skilled at Video Editing, 3D Animation (Blender) and Web Development as well.
You are probably mistaken if you think that this is all we’ve got! The endless possibilities and debates on the cutting edge technologies is what occupies the atmosphere here. Passion and ecstasy of learning and improving is at the core of FARC. The sheer vividness and magnitude of impact that our projects can have is what speaks for itself. The work culture and the support by our team has helped us thrive. Catering to the aviation and robotics enthusiasts of NITK, FARC through it’s events and expos have made its presence felt. If you like to challenge yourself with questions that have an impact, then wait no more, FARC is the place for you.
THE WAIT IS OVER !!!!
WE ARE RECRUITING !!!