Multi-Modal Air–Ground Robot Platform

Jan 1, 2026 · 1 min read
projects

Senior Thesis · Aerial Robotics · 2026–Present

I am developing hardware for a multi-modal air–ground robot platform, focusing on the aerial system, flight-control hardware, ESC/motor integration, two-servo deflector actuation, thrust-biasing deflector design, CFD-informed checks, and bench testing.

Multi-modal robotics Aerial hardware ESC/motor integration Flight-control hardware Servo actuation CFD checks Bench testing

Project Work

This senior thesis project focuses on building and testing the aerial hardware for a multi-modal air–ground robot platform. I work on the mechanical prototyping and system integration side, including custom quadrotor hardware, propulsion setup, ESC/motor integration, flight-control hardware, two-servo deflector actuation, and thrust-biasing deflector design.

My current work connects CAD, fabrication, wiring, assembly, CFD-informed design checks, and bench testing. I am iterating the platform based on packaging, fit, test behavior, and hardware integration constraints.

Hardware integration

  • Building and integrating drone-platform hardware for air–ground testing
  • Designing and fabricating structural components
  • Working through packaging, fit, wiring, and assembly constraints
  • Integrating ESCs, motors, servos, and flight-control hardware

Deflector and testing work

  • Designing thrust-biasing deflector concepts
  • Integrating two-servo deflector actuation
  • Using CFD-informed checks to compare design behavior
  • Running bench tests to evaluate thrust and drag tradeoffs

Technical Stack

SolidWorks 3D printing Fabrication ESCs Motors Servos Flight-control hardware ANSYS OpenFOAM Bench testing
Hanna Park
Authors
Hanna Park
Mechanical Engineering Student
I am a mechanical engineering student at Caltech interested in robotics, controls, aerial systems, and multi-modal robot platforms. My work focuses on building and testing physical robotic systems through flight-control integration, prototyping, aerodynamic testing, sensing, and experimental validation.