Overview
This project is in progress. I'll add design details, photos, and test results as the work develops.
Most drones are built for one environment. This research project is a multidisciplinary effort to build a vehicle that works in three: in the air, on the ground as a rover, and underwater as a submersible. Each domain brings its own demands, and the hard engineering is in making one vehicle satisfy all three at once.
I'm on the team as the person responsible for the electrical system.
My role
The electrical system is everything that stores, moves, and conditions power, and connects the vehicle's brains to its sensors and actuators. My scope includes:
- Power architecture: battery selection, protection, and distribution to motors, servos, and electronics.
- Regulation: clean, stable rails for the flight controller, sensors, and communications.
- Wiring and connectors: a harness that survives vibration, impacts, and water.
- Integration: working with the mechanical and software teams so the electrical design fits the vehicle and supports every mode.
Design challenges
A few of the problems that make a three-domain vehicle interesting from the electrical side:
- Waterproofing. Every place a wire passes through the hull is a potential leak, and water and batteries don't mix.
- Weight versus capacity. Flight punishes every gram, while driving and diving reward battery capacity.
- Very different loads. Flight motors draw large, fast-changing currents; rover and underwater propulsion have different profiles on the same battery.
- Communication. Radio signals barely penetrate water, so the vehicle needs a plan for staying in contact when it's submerged.
Progress
- [Month 2026]: Joined the project; [first milestone].
- [Month 2026]: [next milestone].
Next: [component selection, first power-system prototype, bench testing].