Mag‑Vengers is a senior design project in collaboration with a local defense company that focuses on remote data collection at impacted areas using drones. The team aims to advancing drone functionality through the use of electropermanent magnets and has developed a lightweight, durable drone attachment system embedded with EPMs to create a strong, switchable magnetic latch. Controlled electronically, the latch can be turned “on” or “off” to securely hold and individually release six (or more) sensor pucks during high‑speed flight.
The project’s goal is to deliver a fully functional prototype that is reliable, aesthetically clean, and easy to modify for future teams or organizations. Through the utilization of EPMs, the team aims to reduce size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements. Over the course of two academic quarters, the team has applied skills in CAD modeling, simulation, prototyping, and documentation to design, test, and refine the system. Milestones include initial coil and component prototypes in Fall 2025, a second prototype for presentation at the Winter Design Fair, and a final prototype by Winter 2026.
The overall design the team has developed has several structures which includes the hex mechanical attachment, EPM casing, and EPM assembly.
The hex mechanical attachment had several iterations to reach to that point. The design allows for external magnetic latching which is more efficient and able to support more sensor pucks than previous designs. The material (Aluminum 5052) was chosen for a lightweight design and durability with SolidWorks wind simulation to ensure the strength. Rivenuts (with a 1/4-20 thread size) in place in order to allow the EPMs to thread into the attachment.
The EPM casing was modeled through SolidWorks and manufactured by the local company on the behalf of the team. The dimensions were determined through multiple COMSOL simulations that tested for the dimensions of the steel cap's radius and thickness, changing the on and off ratio.
The EPM assembly incorporates several subcomponents which include the fixed magnet (NdFeB), a switch magnet (AlNiCo), and a copper coil. Multiple gauges were tested with COMSOL capable of carrying an electrical current to change the polarity of the switch magnet. The sizing and amount of turns of the copper coils have been determined through COMSOL with the temperature and current tested with the multimeter to ensure safety protocols were met. The strength of the magnets have been tested with the force gauge in order to determine the holding force with the inductance measured with the Gauss meter (also known as the teslameter).
The team decided on a hexagonal shape design that is light, cheap, and easily manufacturable through sheet metal bending. The lightweight Aluminum 5052 drone attachment part is nonferromagnetic and the current iteration is able to support 12 pucks with expandability to multiples of 6.
The EPM, itself, is tiny with a size of less than 1 inch in diameter and height (excluding the threading) but is still able to have a large holding force. Each electropermanent magnet (EPM) is able to maintain an average max force of 21.75N, which is 5.44 times greater than the initial requirement set for the team (4N).
Inside the EPM is a fixed magnet (NdFeB), a switch magnet (AlNiCo), and a coil encased in a CNC casing made out of AISI 1010. The AWG 30 copper coil design has 12 layers of about 30 turns, making a total of 355 turns, and consuming 5A per pulse of current.
Through the past two quarters, the team was able to simulate valid dimensions for the prototypes, iterate, and design a device that is able to meet all of the requirements set by the sponsor and the company.