Abstract:
The Ceramic Insulated Droid project is a design project sponsored by the Alfred University Mechanical Engineering department. This project’s goal is to create a fireproof robot which can enter burning buildings, survey for any potential hazards and find any trapped victims inside before firefighters enter. A drone design was complete, and the process of manufacturing had begun. A frame and the electronics assemblies were completed but the wheel mounting, thermal insulation and several other features were still in the conceptual phase. After taking charge of the project from the previous senior group, several design improvements including the drive shaft design, axle mounting, frame adjustment and electronics assembly placement, were implemented. A finalized prototype was created with operational drive functionality. For further improvement, the next project group will have to cover the drone with ceramic plates before it can be tested in a live fire scenario. The drone was brought from a partially constructed conceptual state to a working, functioning prototype which can be modified for further improvement.
