engineering

TechJect Dragonfly UAV

TechJect Dragonfly UAV is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand TechJect Dragonfly UAV rather than just read about it. In short: The Dragonfly is a failed crowdfunding project that was to build a miniaturized four-winged ornithopter UAV designed by TechJect. The Dragonfly supposedly was designed for: aerial photography, interactive gaming, autonomous patrolling for security and surveillance, etc.

Key takeaways

TechJect Dragonfly UAV belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TechJect Dragonfly UAV to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TechJect Dragonfly UAV from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Dragonfly is a failed crowdfunding project that was to build a miniaturized four-winged ornithopter UAV designed by TechJect. The Dragonfly supposedly was designed for: aerial photography, interactive gaming, autonomous patrolling for security and surveillance, etc. The project claimed that the UAV was going to manufactured by TechJect, but all development was canceled after crowdfunding IndieGoGo refused to release money.

Design The unit was envisioned as a miniaturized four-winged ornithopter which uses a flight model based on that of a dragonfly. It was the first palm sized miniaturized ornithopter to be prototyped to exhibit powerful actuation at small sizes, though other larger versions have been developed. (e.g., the DelFly), the Dragonfly was the first to make use of multiple models, each customizable with multiple options, such as wifi connectivity. The Dragonfly UAV built off the research done at Georgia Institute of Technology's Intelligent Control Systems Laboratory. That research resulted in Patent 9,290,268, filed in 2011 and granted in March 2016. The TectJect company, which spun off from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, was to develop this technology into a reliable consumer product. After several major design changes and deviations from the original patent, no reliable solution was found.

Technical specifications In their crowdfunding pitches TechJect made a number of dubious claims. The Dragonfly was to be equipped with one of three different electronics packages. These could include the Marc-Basic, Marc-2, and Marc-3. In addition, all models were planned to be built to have camera capability, including stereoscopic vision through dual cameras (available with the Marc-3). HD vision was planned to be optional. Power was planned to be provided from a single-cell Li-Po battery rated at 250mAh. The actuator system for the wings was going to be based on either magnetic solenoidal actuators (Alpha model - retired for now) or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for the Delta, Gamma, and Omega models. With a final goal weight of ~25g and a length of 6", the micro UAV was expected to hover for ~8–10 minutes, with a hybrid flight time (hovering and fixed-wing gliding) of ~25–30 minutes. However, these specifications were announced at the beginning of the crowdfunding campaign and do not reflect any actual hardware.

Cameras and Sensors TechJect told investors that The Dragonfly would have the ability to be equipped with up to twenty environmental sensors (including GPS and cameras), dependent on electronics package. At minimum, the unit was to be equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope as is required for controlled flight through inertial guidance. At most, the unit was envisioned to equip approximately 20 sensors, including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, 3-axis magnetometers, an ambient light sensor, an ambient humidity sensor, and a differential/absolute pressure sensor.

Production delays On the third anniversary of the IndieGoGo campaign, TechJect released an update to backers stating that the company "in no position to complete the Dragonfly project in our current condition without a helping hand (partners, additional funding or community support)." TechJect has claimed that the project's failure was the result of a delay in the release of funding by PayPal and IndieGoGo. However, the design was much less mature than what was stated during the crowdfunding campaign, and significant time and money was spent finalizing the mechanical design and selecting appropriate materials. The team apologized to backers for what it termed "our dismal approach to the finish line". Crowdfund Insider has described the state of the project as "road kill" and "dead in the water". TechCrunch espoused the view that TechJect's pitch "always seemed a bit far-fetched", and cited it as "the latest example of how consumers need to be more careful with crowdfunding". Veckans Affärer described the Dragonfly as "too good to be true", and described it and Pirate3D's Buccaneer 3D printer as part of a trend of crowdfunding projects that had not delivered on their promises.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TechJect Dragonfly UAV

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TechJect Dragonfly UAV claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to TechJect Dragonfly UAV before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about TechJect Dragonfly UAV ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of TechJect Dragonfly UAV

In research: TechJect Dragonfly UAV appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses TechJect Dragonfly UAV in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: TechJect Dragonfly UAV is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Educational robots, Indiegogo projects, Micro air vehicles, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TechJect Dragonfly UAV outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study TechJect Dragonfly UAV in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TechJect Dragonfly UAV means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain TechJect Dragonfly UAV out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TechJect Dragonfly UAV in simple terms?

Why does TechJect Dragonfly UAV matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study TechJect Dragonfly UAV?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on TechJect Dragonfly UAV.