Who We Are

UAARG is a student vehicle project in the Faculty of Engineering. We design and build our own UAV systems, typically of similar size to radio controlled model airplanes. Every year a system is designed, built, tested and then competed internationally. We offer the opportunity for students to put theory into practice and gain valuable design and management experience.

Some opportunities in the club include:

  • Making new friends
  • Designing airframe structures
  • Programing autopilot behavior
  • Coding on an embedded system platform
  • Creating electrical systems to power the plane
  • Traveling internationally

All of these are awesome resume boosters!

Our Sub-Teams

UAARG is composed of individual sub-teams that each work on a focused aspect of our drone. Members are encouraged to join the teams they are most interested in, but to also explore other teams to gain interdisciplinary experience.

Below is is an overview of the sub teams in UAARG:

Airframe

The airframe team is the skeleton of the group. All systems and equipment of the UAV from other teams is assembled by this team. For those who fear heights, the airframe team also possesses a UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) team which is responsible for constructing a small ground vehicle with autonomous capabilities. The restrictions of weight and size make this a challenging task to tackle.

Autopilot

Autopilot focuses on the creation and maintenance of autonomous flight capabilities within the UAV and the UGV. Additionally, flight plans and Radio control for manual override of the autonomous systems are the responsibility of the autopilot team.

Business

The business team is responsible for making sure that UAARG is running like well oiled machine by tackling administrative, financial and safety tasks. Some of the crucial tasks that this team does include:

  • Grant Writing and Procurement
  • Financial Management
  • Merchandise Procurement
  • Social Media Management
  • Project Management
  • Community Outreach
  • Recruitment
  • Safety and Risk Management

While this team may not directly work on the plane, this team is critical in ensuring the club’s continuity and productivity as we work towards competitions.

Electrical

UAARG’s Electrical & Electronics Systems Team is responsible for designing, building and integrating the various power and communications components on our autonomous air and ground vehicles. We select components to meet each year’s design objectives and monitor our systems’ performance and efficiency throughout testing. Joining the electrical team offers great opportunities for hands-on wiring work, research into cutting-edge UAV electronics, and familiarization with the ins and outs of electric propulsion systems!

Imaging

Imaging Team develops the machine-vision capabilities of our UAVs. To accomplish this, we implement primarily software solutions, as well as incorporating hardware components. Consequently, our responsibilities also extend beyond only imaging; to support our infrastructure, we also handle networking, interop server integration and many other software projects.

Piloting

If you are fascinated by planes and you are passionate about flying, or if you are interested in learning the beauty of aviation, then this is the team for you. Our passionate members are more than happy to help you have the best experience with us.