About Us

The Desire for the UAH Rotorcraft Institute is to involve a team of UAH students in the International Aerial Robotics Competitions (IARC) sponsored by the Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Society International (AUVSI), which has led to the developement of the CHARGER. The CHARGER uses an industry-proven miniature helicopter as a mechanical base which has been modified to achieve the objectives of Level I and parts of Levels II-IV of the Competition per the requirements of the CDD as Ratified by the customer, instructors, and the CHARGER Project Office. As a relatively low-cost system with extensive capabilities implemented with highly agile computational and electronic functionality in a robust packaging, it is a superior UAV and is the best option for entry into the IARC.

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1.1 The Need

In order to demonstrate the University of Alabama in Huntsville's (UAH) proficiency and to remain competitive with other universities, the UAH Rotorcraft Institute has funded a project in which students will enter an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) in the International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC), organized by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). The CHARGER team has endeavored to design an entry to compete for the opportunity to enter the IARC, following the guidelines of the competition and additional guidelines given by Dr. Jeff Cerny (UAH Rotorcraft Institute), Dr. Bob Fredrick (UAH Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, IPT Class Leader), and Mr. Tom Percy (UAH Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, IPT 03 Instructor).