In this activity, your instructor will place you in groups of $2-3$ to begin your course project. Throughout each module, your group will perform and report out on specific tasks as part of the project.

Project Description

There is an increase in events involving lost hikers. They tend to rely more on the GPS in their smartphone for directions and not enough on map$-$reading skills. Then, when satellite coverage is lost, so are they. Finding them quickly is the best way to increase survival rate.

Statement of Need

The National Forest Service $($NFS$)$ is looking to explore options for using remotely$-$piloted vehicles to help find lost hikers. They think that a slow$-$moving, small vehicle operating at a low altitude has a better chance of finding a hiker more rapidly than someone on foot. They are looking for a vehicle to operate in low mountain terrains that cruise at less than $3,000$ feet. They need a system that can easily be transported, so as one search area is swept, they can pack up and move to another. The mission needs to be performed at any time of the year and in daylight and nighttime conditions.

Group Assignment

Your company won the contract award to investigate solutions to quickly finding lost hikers. One challenge is that the NFS does not have a list of requirements, yet. The project goal is to explore the range of possibilities $($otherwise known as the design space$)$ and present design options to the NFS$.$ At this point, your company will be able to more precisely write system requirements. This will involve testing and documenting some representative sensors and vehicle design ideas with at least one final prototype that you will flight test in the simulator.