Page 1 Recruitment Assignment

Electrical and Controls Recruitment Assignment

October 2024

Instructions (Read carefully):

1. This is an assignment for all open positions under Electrical Subsystem
2. This assignment has 2 compulsory questions and 3 sub-sections for 3 different
roles each candidate will submit according to the role you are applying for.
3. This assignment is for everyone EXCEPT UG Freshers
4. Partial Marking will be done in all questions.
5. All the answers submitted should be your own and only yours. All forms of plagiarism
would mean immediate disqualification from the recruitment process.
6. You have to submit your assignment as a pdf named Firstname_LastName_rollno.pdf.
The submission form will be shared with you via our recruitment group on WhatsApp.
7. The deadline for submission is Sunday, 13 October 2024, 11:59 PM
8. Give the necessary permissions in case you are submitting a drive link.
9. To have a better overview of the competition we are aiming for, it is suggested that you
refer to the following resource: WSAR.info.
10. For any queries, contact
Soham Patil | +91 84599 36802
Elec n Controls Subsystem Head
SPART
Page 2 Recruitment Assignment

Please note these points before starting to attempt the assignment

● You will not be judged by the work and thinking you put in the question and not
on the correctness of the answer.
● You must explain the procedure used clearly in all the questions, as we will be
grading the assignments based on this.

( 2 Compulsory Questions)

1)
An autonomous airship is designed to move in 2-D while navigating through space, as shown in
the figure below.

Source: Wikipedia

Figure 1: Navigating through a maze

a. As a part of the electrical subsystem, you have to design a control algorithm for an
airship to move without crashing. Please explain your approach towards your problem.
What sensors would you choose in your sensor suite? Assume that the path through the
maze is known. (You may write only the parameters measured by the sensor. You need
not write the name of the sensors. If you find specific components, they will be bonus
marks.) Write assumptions made by you during the algorithm planning.
(Hint: We are looking at your approach to solving the problem)
b. Can you also control the drone/ aeroplane with the same algorithm?
Page 3 Recruitment Assignment

2)
A spherical airship is floating in the air. It is required to move at an angle of 45° to the horizontal
with 20 m/s velocity. Its angular speed is given by ω = 𝑘2 * 𝑉 and Its torque is given by a DC
2
motor, 𝑇 = 𝐾1 * ω where V is the voltage input in mV, and k1 and k2 is the motor's constant.
The airship's propulsion system is modelled by the equation 𝐹 = 𝑇/𝑟 where F is the thrust, and
r is the radius of the propeller. The airship's weight is 500 N, and the airship's drag is modelled
by the equation
2
𝐹𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 = 0. 75 * 𝐶𝑑 * 𝐴 * ρ * 𝑣
Where 𝐹𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 is the drag force,
Cd is the drag coefficient,
A is the reference area,
⍴ is the air density, and
v is the airship's speed.

Given that the motor constants are k1 = 0.9 and k2 = 0.667, the radius of the propeller is 0.5 m,
the drag coefficient is 0.1, the reference area is 50.2654 m2, and the air density is 1.225 kg/m3.
Determine the voltage input required to maintain a constant speed of 20 m/s. Helium density is
0.166 kg/m3. Take g = 10 m/s2.
Write a practical situation where you would use these calculations.
Page 4 Recruitment Assignment

Controls Trainee
(Solve any 2 of 3)

1)
Background
PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control is a widely used feedback control mechanism in
which a system’s output is regulated by adjusting inputs based on three factors: proportional (P),
integral (I), and derivative (D). The proportional component corrects errors based on the present
state, the integral addresses accumulated past mistakes, and the derivative predicts future
errors based on the rate of change.
In airship control, PID controllers help maintain altitude stability, enabling smooth and precise
navigation. Assume that the given airship is spherical and can move in 3D using motors
attached in 6 axial directions (North, East, West, South, Up, Down).
Submission
● You need to suggest changes you can make to PID control to make it more suitable to
be used in airships or anything which you think improves the airship functionality. List out
the advantages your algorithm offers over conventional PID and also the potential
disadvantages that it might have.
● Consider all the factors that might affect your trajectory.
● [BONUS] Give a Python code/pseudocode for the implementation of your algorithm.

Resources
Some resources for better understanding PID control -
● PID Controller Explained
● Control Systems
● Python Implementation for PID Control

Note: Your submissions won’t be looked at objectively, but rather, we are looking for your
approach to reach the solution, so answer accordingly.
Page 5 Recruitment Assignment

2
The GNVR shape, named after Late Prof. G.N.V. Rao from IISc, Bengaluru, is used in the
design of airships and is a combination of three geometrical constructs: an ellipse, a circle, and
a parabola. The shape is parameterized in terms of its maximum diameter D, with the profile
defined by the following equation:

1. Given the maximum diameter D = 10 meters, use the provided parametric equations to
compute the surface area of the airship's envelope.
2. Calculate the volume of the airship based on its GNVR profile.
3. The envelope material has a GSM (grams per square meter) of 100 g/m². Estimate the
total weight of the envelope material required to fabricate the airship.
4. For a payload that weighs 2 kg, determine the length of the envelope required to
accommodate the payload based on its design constraints.

You may write a Python script or use an Excel file. (You can also derive an equation to
find the volume using pen and paper)

3
You are tasked with designing an airship system for delivering heavy supplies (20-50 kg) during
rescue operations. As the lead engineer, you must:

1. How will you implement a payload-dropping mechanism using an airship? Mention

all the components you will need. Explain the whole procedure. Explain how you will
stabilise the airship.
2. Calculate the operational cost for this airship to carry and release a 100 kg load.
Assume you are using hydrogen. The total lift of the airship is 150 kg. Is it more
cost-efficient than drones? Assume that both the drones and airship drop off 1500 times
in their life once made. (Assume zero He refilling costs).
Page 6 Recruitment Assignment

Simulations Trainee

1
We will be doing simulations on the airships using the ROS. To familiarise yourself with
this software, we will do simple object creations using the following instructions:
Screenshot your results and upload the screenshot with the instructions.

Procedure:

1. Go to the website https://app.theconstructsim.com/, make an account, and login.

2. Under the Develop section, you will see My rosjects. Create a project with your roll number.
3. On the bottom side, you will see many sections. Open terminal. Type gazebo in it and press
enter.
4. Be sure to pause the simulation by pressing the spacebar. In the top sidebar, you will see
many options. Press on the box and place it in the plane using a click. Upload the screenshot of
this.
5. Scroll to zoom in and zoom out. Hold click and move the mouse to move the camera. Shift +
hold click to rotate the camera.
6. Now click on the box and press S on your keyboard. You will see three lines across the box.
This is to resize the box shape. Now, elongate the box.
7. Now press T to move the box. Press R if you want to rotate the box.
8. Create a room-like structure using what you know (4 walls is enough). Upload the screenshot
of this.

You will be asked questions based on this so be prepared.

2
You can learn to make a robot in gazebo through the link below:
Build Simple Robot Using Gazebo ROS Simulation
Follow the instructions given in the video above and record the screen to create this structure.
Upload the screen recording of its working

3
Describe how you can apply simulation concepts as a part of SPART to help the team. Keep
your explanations under 300 words.
Page 7 Recruitment Assignment

Weather and Path Planning trainee

(Solve any 2 of 3)

1
What is Path Planning? Mention 3 common path-planning algorithms and explain their working,
advantages, disadvantages, and where they can be used. Determine the path using the path
planning algorithms found in the above question. You may either write and submit the Python
code or solve it manually on paper.

2
Using the weather patterns of Mumbai city, what months would you expect the best flight days?
In what direction? What data would you require? In what form and where is the data available
explained? Give resources and images for the same.
(Hint: We are looking for data such as wind rose)

3
You have been asked to plan the airship path between the Energy building and Hostel 15. What
will be your approach towards this problem? The target of focus should be the least energy
consumption. Use the concepts learned above to plan the path. (Hint: No path is wrong just
properly explain you methodology)

ALL THE BEST!!!!!!