The annual AIAA DBF competition is an international event, hosted in Tucson and Wichita, Kansas, that invites schools from all over the world to design, build and fly an aircraft according to the design requirements that are set each year. Each team must attempt to maximize their possible points earned via scoring guidelines set by the competition. Flight envelope attributes such as endurance, speed and payload weight must be balanced accordingly to create an aircraft that will obtain the highest score.

This year, the schools were tasked with designing an aircraft that is capable of flying three missions, each with their own stipulations. Based on the scoring and competition guidelines, this design must be able to carry a heavy internal payload, mount a vertical antenna to one wingtip and have an endurance of around eight minutes. In addition, the aircraft must be able to disassemble and fit into a box that is compliant with FAA carry-on regulations, limiting battery size and aircraft dimensions. By employing computational fluid dynamics, advanced composite building techniques and rigorous aerodynamic design processes, the University of Arizona team developed a competitive aircraft to represent the school on the international stage.

The project team developed an agrivoltaic system design and established solar production estimates to determine the renewable energy off-set for the Freight Farm located at Biosphere 2. Additional goals included structural design, operational guidelines, design of a secondary freight container to house electronics for the solar components, and a functional model. The design can work in any offgrid system located in arid regions where there is no or limited electrical grid connectivity.

The agrivoltaic system consists of 61 solar panels, a structural support system for the panels and an electrical system that controls the flow and storage of energy. While the team built a functional, smaller-scale prototype, they also created various models and electrical diagrams, worked with structural applications, and performed calculations to verify the full-scale design. The demonstration model incorporates the key components of the Freight Farm-Agrivoltaic System, including a structural assembly, electrical and solar components, and system monitoring.

For those who have mental or physical limitations or aversions to traditional toothbrush use, photodynamic therapy can improve overall oral health and decrease plaque bacterial colonization. This project presents a waterless, bristleless alternative to traditional mouth cleaning devices. It allows the user to select a light mode for three individual LED treatments using blue light, red light or a combination of the two.

The LightBrush design uses an Arduino Nano Every microcontroller to power the high-wattage LEDs, which are located on a custom-designed printed circuit board in the head of the brush. Custom code controls the LEDs according to the selected light mode, and it delivers a specific lux dosage amount over a set treatment time. For safety, an accelerometer ensures the user or caregiver is properly holding the LightBrush and automatically shuts off the device when the LEDs are shining upwards, preventing ocular damage. A piezo buzzer notifies the user when the treatment begins and is completed to prevent light exposure outside of the mouth. The lithium polymer battery can be recharged when voltage is low. The team 3D printed a prototype of the LightBrush to verify functionality of the complete system. Further research into potential environmentally sustainable materials for large-scale production of the device was also completed, and instructions for use were developed for customers.

Breweries and distilleries produce large quantities of byproduct waste streams, mostly made of spent grain from the mashing process. Typically, these spent grains are donated to a local farmer to serve as feed for livestock. The team repurposed the wasted spent grains into various practical products and composed a life cycle analysis on each product.

Nonalcoholic beer is a product that is not seen at local Tucson breweries. Dealcoholized beer is a valuable product, but the process to produce it is energy-intensive. The team designed a vacuum distillation process to extract the ethanol from beer and lower the alcohol content below 0.5% alcohol by volume, the threshold for nonalcoholic beer. Solar heating was used to improve economics and reduce the environmental impact. The project was simulated on ASPEN software to optimize the process, removing the alcohol efficiently.

The team designed a special exhibit for the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. The interactive topographic display of the lower basin of the Colorado River includes a map with notable landmarks, various facts about the river and audio recordings that can be played.

Visitors can tap a spot on the 32-inch touch screen to display its corresponding information, while LED lights and 3D figures emphasize the specific location on a physical map. The interior of the system includes a Raspberry Pi, wiring and circuitry, and programming to ensure the display runs smoothly.

The new exhibit has drawn more people to the area and spurred an influx of business. By attracting both tourists and Yuma locals, the exhibit is educating broader audiences about the ecosystem of the Colorado River and what needs to be done to preserve it.

The moon is an important stepping stone as humankind expands past the boundary of Earth’s atmosphere. A portable utility pallet (PUP) that harnesses solar energy and distributes it via charging ports will be an integral piece of infrastructure for lunar missions of the near future. This robust PUP design can withstand harsh cosmic conditions and provide consistent power.

The team developed the 1/6-scale PUP prototype with aluminum panels forming the body of the model. Inside the panels, a microcontroller is wired to various servo motors. Operated via an infrared remote, the servo motors drive the legs, solar boom and solar array using a clever pulley system. A simple flower origami solar array is mounted on the PUP, while a more experimental panel that utilizes Miura fold origami is demonstrated separately. This reliable, compact system sits comfortably on the uneven lunar surface, while harnessing the sun to distribute power to other assets.

The team researched the optimization of flight paths for solar panel performance at high altitude and designed a vehicle to meet the following requirements: achieve completely autonomous flight with human oversight and GPS tracking; be completely solar-powered with battery backups for emergency situations; remain within a 500-meter radius airspace; have a constant flight period of one month; maintain a steady altitude of 10,000 feet to 12,000 feet; operate a 40+ megapixel camera; and have a minimum communications bandwidth of 256 Kbps.

Further endurance benefits were analyzed by changing the release mechanisms to ensure quicker stability response. Static and dynamic stability were optimized for increased endurance.

The traditional wheel is insufficient when it comes to maneuvering over extreme lunar terrain, such as craters, icy and regolith surfaces, and large boulders. The fully functioning Lunar Arachnid Surveillance and Exploration Rover uses a new style of mobility. The rover uses individual legs equipped with rounded footings that ensure surface contact at all times, without sinking into the surface.

The prototype was scaled down to 43% of full size, with 3D-printed PLA/PETG plastic used for the body and legs. The servo motors move the legs back and forth, as well as up and down, giving a synchronized motion when all six hips are in synch. With the help of the onboard inertial measurement unit and remote control, the rover is able to navigate to a desired location, where it will use its infrared camera to search for ice in lunar craters.

Team Sky High designed an affordable, fully autonomous, solar-powered UAV capable of one month flight time at an altitude of 10,000 feet or higher. The UAV boasts a 40-megapixel camera and a communications bandwidth of 256 kilobits per second or greater, plus GPS tracking and telemetry capabilities.

The full-scale model has a wingspan of 12 meters and a chord length of 0.5 meters, with an overall mass estimate of 50 kg. The prototype scale is 25% of the full-scale model with a mass of approximately 12.5 kg. Flying at a speed of 13 meters per second, the UAV can complete 15 orbits of a 500-meter radius circle of operation in one hour.

The design team developed a remote-controlled airplane for the 2022 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design/Build/Fly competition. The competition consists of three humanitarian missions to deliver vaccine vials and care packages to remote locations with unfavorable terrain. The team designed and optimized their aircraft to perform short takeoffs and landings with large payloads. This was accomplished using general engineering principles and the latest software available.

The airplane features a tapered wing mounted in a high-wing configuration that accommodates a single motor on the nose along with a payload dropping mechanism strategically placed at the center of gravity to maximize stability and control. Many iterations were performed to improve the model through analysis, prototyping and flight testing.