Narcotic Network aimed to design a lightweight device that provides quick and accurate medication delivery to patients living within 0.5 km of a pharmacy. Although Amazon Prime and FedEx Overnight offer one-day delivery, current commercial methods remain costly, inconsistent, and impersonal, especially outside urban areas. Therefore, underserved patients in suburban and exurban regions need novel medical delivery methods. The Narcotic Network Autonomous Delivery Drone, a 1.9 kg quadcopter, autonomously carries up to 0.5 kg of medication of various forms to patients who are unable to leave their homes. By transporting medication directly from pharmacies to elderly and terminal patients who need frequent medication refills, Narcotic Network enhances the customer experience by ensuring personalized, prompt delivery of high-priority medicine.
To address the problem of medication delivery, we designed, manufactured, and flew an autonomous drone. We used SOLIDWORKs to model custom structural elements such as propeller guards, motor mounts, and electronics housing. We used standard M3, M2.5, and M2 screws as well as lightweight fasteners such as plastic zip ties and tape for assembling drone prototypes. All flight parameters and automated flight paths were adjusted on ArduPilot, but a manual disarming option was maintained on a radio controller.
Final Payload Mechanism:
We designed payload mechanisms on SOLIDWORKS and iterated through six designs to arrive at a simple yet sturdy clamp. The clamp was 3D printed out of PLA filaments and was tested to hold medication weighing 0.5 kg for over 30 seconds. We ensured that the servomotor for the clap drew sufficient power by selecting a power distribution board rated for the servo’s voltage and current and by wiring our electronics with jumper wires. The overall dimensions of our storage/ payload mechanism are 4.5” x 4.5” x 4.5” which is enough space to transport several medicines or small packages. Finally, aside from the handle, which was made from PLA for structural integrity, we made the remainder of the payload box from lightweight, eco-friendly carboard.
We flew the drone over 100 ft across an open field and met our sponsor’s marginal expectations by exceeding the 1-mintue requirement for autonomous flight. We also met requirements to keep both the payload box and main drone under 2.5 kg. The dimensions of our payload box (4.5” x 4.5” x 4.5”) also met a requirement to carry medication in all shapes and sizes. Though we could not test both autonomous flight and payload delivery simultaneously, we demonstrated that the ArduPilot-controlled payload drop-off mechanism worked and that the payload box was sturdy enough to survive a 1 ft fall.
Future Directions:
In addition to simultaneously testing both autonomous flight and delivery, future directions for Narcotic Network could include adding sensors for obstacle avoidance. LIDAR, radio, and telemetry will help the Narcotic Network drone navigate around trees. We can also improve the duration of our flight by using a higher capacity battery. Flight stability can be further improving our thrust-to-weight ratio at 50% throttle from 1.28 to over 1.5.
Contact Information:
Barozh Smail
bsmail@uci.edu
Gisselle Sanchez
gisses2@uci.edu
Arianna Alonso
arianna4@uci.edu
Vincent Nguyen
hoanghn5@uci.edu
Jenna Lee
jungal2@uci.edu