Kristofer S.J. Pister (Advisor)

This project focuses on the design, fabrication, and development of a six-axis electrostatically levitated mass system. While electrostatic levitation has been previously demonstrated, the emphasis here is on achieving a compact form factor (10 cm × 10 cm), reduced power consumption (0.5 W), and increased levitated mass capacity. The proof mass is suspended using a system of actuation electrodes: four top electrodes provide levitation and control of vertical displacement (z-axis) as well as rotation about the x- and y-axes, while six side electrodes control lateral motion (x- and y-...

Since drones can be flown remotely or autonomously and can navigate dangerous environments without any risk to human operators, they are attractive for military applications, including surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat missions. At the same time, enemy drones pose a growing serious threat to civilians and soldiers. Current anti-drone warfare is either inaccurate, expensive, or large in size, so this project aims to build a low-cost, crayon-sized radar-guided microrocket to target drones up to 100 meters away.

To effectively and tractably counter hundreds of threats, we...