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Leader Name:
Robert Clark
Team Members:
Kevin Ciocia,Bob Davidson, Charles Guo and Chinmay Patel
Team Website:
acuitytx.com |
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Vehicle Name:
Tiger (Level I) and Cardinal (Level II)
Approximate empty and gross weights
of vehicle:
90 pounds empty for Level 1, 500 pounds gross for Level 1
Height and diameter
of vehicle:
Level I: 5’ 8” dia. by 7’11” high.
Propellant choices:
Isopropyl Alcohol and 59% H202 |
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Vehicle Name:
XHopper
Approximate empty and gross weights
of vehicle:
130 pounds empty for Level 2, 800 pounds gross for Level 2
Height and diameter
of vehicle:
Level II: 6’10” dia. by 8’6” high.
Propellant choices:
Isopropyl Alcohol and 59% H202 |
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Acuity Technologies’ Aerospace Group specializes in bringing experimental aircraft and UAV systems to production-ready reliability levels through rapid design cycles and early prototyping and testing of reduced scale aircraft. Conventional aircraft design and test cycles are no longer able to keep up with the rapid change of pace in avionics, propulsion, sensors, communications, and materials technologies. By integrating existing subsystems with innovative designs which plan for future generations of components, Acuity quickly and effectively proves air vehicle concepts including ground stations, sensors, and other payloads.
The Acuity "Tiger" and "Cardinal" use a hydrogen peroxide and alcohol fueled rocket system designed to hover and move vertically and horizontally under remote and autonomous control at altitudes from 0 to 100 meters and speeds from 0 to 20 m/s. The open frame keeps weight to a minimum and gives easy access to flight systems. Pump driven propellant pressurization scales well to large vehicles and long flights. The vehicle is stabilized with a six axis IMU, magnetometer, and GPS. It maneuvers autonomously and also responds to ground pilot control transmitted over a standard RC aircraft radio link. In addition to direct pilot viewing of the vehicle, 2 to 3 video cameras transmit views of the horizon and terrain below the vehicle to ground based displays for pilot assistance. Telemetry including GPS position and altitude AGL is also displayed at the pilot station. Range from the pilot to the vehicle will typically be 100 to 250 meters while the vehicle is in flight.
Crew
Chief Bio:
Robert Clark started Acuity in 1992. He has been professionally involved in aeronautical design, development of robotic vehicles and sensor systems, and in autonomous vehicle construction and operation throughout his career. He was part of the team that developed the first automotive driver navigation system in the late 1980s. Recent work includes development of a wing-launched, runway recoverable long endurance UAV. Robert received his BS from Princeton University in Aerospace Engineering in 1982 and MS in Digital Control Systems from Stanford University's Aeronautics and Astronautics department in 1983. He started working on rocket engine design in May 2006.
Interesting Team Fact:
The Vehicle names, Tiger and Cardinal, are the school mascots for the alma maters of two of our team members.
Team Acuity on the NG-LLC:
"Exploration is the essence of human nature. Space habitation is the future of human evolution."
What is our next big milestone?
Improvement of engine efficiency to flight performance levels.
What will we do if we win the prize?
See what aerospace competitions X PRIZE Foundation can come up with next.
Why do we have an advantage over the competition?
Easy to handle propellants and low overall system weight make the Acuity XHopper quick to set up, fuel and launch. |
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