Twinkling drones dance in sync
Dr Ang (left) and Dr Phang with one of their 16 drones
A swarm of 16 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fitted with high-tech components and LEDs, has been captivating spectators recently with their twinkling aerial light show, as part of The Future of Us exhibition at Gardens by the Bay.
During the aerial display, the UAVs will create patterns such as Singapore Flyer and the star of the state flag. It is believed this is the first time a large number of UAVs has flown together for an outdoor aerial performance in Singapore.
Commonly known as drones, the project was a joint collaboration between Temasek Laboratories (Temasek Labs) at NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). It is part of the drone research currently undertaken and funded by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence.
Under the supervision of Dr Kevin Ang and Dr Phang Swee King, Research Scientists with Temasek Labs, a team of about 30 NUS Engineering students with a keen interest in drones assembled the UAVs, each weighing 4.5kg and measuring 114cm tip-to-tip. The development of the system took about a year, with the first prototype created at the end of 2014.
“The idea for this project draws inspiration from nature,” said Dr Ang. “When a flock of birds flies in V-formation, when a group of ants works together or when a school of fish swims together, they exhibit complex self-organised behaviour that brings benefits to the whole group: for instance, longer flight range, better food foraged or better protection against predators. These provided useful lessons for multi drone research at Temasek Laboratories.”
Dr Ang added that NUS oversaw the development of the entire system. This included the self-designed and self-made carbon fibre platform; off-the-shelf communication modules and GPS system running algorithms; self-made flight controller to manage the drone’s flight; and self-made power and signal distribution system. The safety function was undertaken by NTU while SUTD handled the aerial filming. “The core of the project is actually the autonomous formation swarm,” said Dr Phang, referring to the group of autonomous drones flying in synchronisation.
The researchers believe that multi drone flights offer significant advantages for Singapore’s defence through provision of better resilience, robustness and efficiency compared to single drones.
The first run of the light shows took place on 8 and 9 January. The public can still catch the six-minute aerial display on 15 and 16 January, at 7.20pm and 8.20pm outside The Marketplace at The Future of Us exhibition.
See media coverage.
