A team of 11 Michigan State Engineering students has recently been funded by NASA to develop bus-riding delivery drones. What started as a project for their ECE 320 course has since transformed to a NASA-supported grant project when the team’s submission was selected by NASA for an $80,000 award from the Undergraduate Student Research Challenge.
The MSU Aerial Intra-City Delivery Electric Drone, or AIDED, is dedicated to creating a delivery drone equipped to carry 20 pounds with an extended delivery range through landing on public transportation. The AIDED drone had an initial public test when the drone delivered the game ball during the MSU Football game against Rutgers this fall. The ball delivery was recorded and presented on the spartan stadium jumbotron in front of a sold-out crowd. To read the full story on the AIDED project at MSU you can read the full article from The College of Engineering.