The 2018 Vertical Flight Society presents the Nikolsky Lecture, featuring Dr. Inderjit Chopra, who presents “Small UAS and Delivery Drones: Challenges & Opportunities” on Thursday, November 29 at 3:30 p.m. in the Bill Moore Student Success Center Clary Theatre.

Abstract:
During the past one decade, there has been phenomenal growth of small-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for hobbyists and rapidly expanding commercial and military applications. The impetus for this dramatic expansion has been due to an explosion of mobile technology in terms of microelectronics, data processing, and transmission capability, superior batteries, miniaturized integrated programmable chips, and innovations in computer vision and videography/photography. However, there are many challenges to overcome before these small UAS can be used for routine commercial and military applications, which include sizable payload and range, stringent navigation/guidance requirements, and precision takeoff/landing and robust autonomous flight in constrained and low-altitude gusty environment. The objective of this presentation is to cover state-of-the-art small UAS and delivery drones, identify technology gaps and key scientific barriers, and present future research needs for high payoff applications.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Inderjit Chopra is a Distinguished University Professor and Alfred Gessow Professor in Aerospace Engineering and director of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland. Also, he was the Minta-Martin Research Professor from 1996 to 2000.

After receiving his Sc. D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977, he joined the NASA Ames/Stanford University Joint Institute of Aeronautics & Acoustics, where he worked for four and half years on the development of aeroelastic analyses and testing of advanced helicopter rotor systems.

In 1981, he joined the University Maryland as an associate professor and was promoted to full professor in 1986. He has been working on various fundamental problems related to aeromechanics of helicopters including aeromechanical stability, vibratory loads, active vibration control, modeling of composite blades, rotor head health monitoring, aeroelastic optimization, high advance ratio rotors, smart structures, swashplateless systems, CFD/CSD couplings, motor-body-engine couplings, micro air vehicles, and comprehensive aeromechanics analyses of bearingless, tilt-rotor, servo-flap, coaxial, compound, teetering, composite coupled rotors, and circulation control rotors. His direct graduate advising resulted over 50 Ph.D. and about 100 M.S. degrees, and his students are now playing important roles in the rotorcraft industry, academia, and federal labs. He acted as the department chair from 1988-1990 and 2009-2010.

Dr. Chopra’s professional interests: Multidisciplinary research in rotorcraft aeromechanics with focus on structural dynamics, vibratory loads, aeroelasticity; smart structures; and micro air vehicles, with a balance between analysis and experimental testing.