Models
This page contains detailed descriptions of our models.
Soteria
Soteria description
Descent Control Design
Our parachute system uses advanced aerodynamic design. We iterated over 1-speed and 2-speed designs. The primary model uses a 1-speed 300 mm diameter flat canopy made of 80 g/m² polyester. Deploying at 1,000m, it targets a descent rate of 7.04 m/s. The 2-speed design utilizes a 600 mm canopy that remains folded initially, then fully inflates for a soft 3.52 m/s descent. Both incorporate a spill hole to reduce oscillations.
MESH Network
MESH description
Data Handling & Grafana
CanSats collect and transmit packets over LoRa (Semtech SX1276) and LTE directly to our PostgreSQL and Grafana server. Nodes dynamically act as relays if cellular service is unavailable. The data is available on the project dashboard in real time, presenting flight telemetry (temperature, pressure, power draw, altitude) to emergency responders.
Key Components
Hardware summary
Detailed Components
- Walter ESP32-S3: Integrated 5G/LTE + GPS module
- BME280: Measures Air Temperature, Pressure, and Humidity
- Semtech SX1276: LoRa Transceiver (868 MHz) for long-range MESH
- 10-DOF ROS IMU: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Barometer
- Texas Instruments INA219: Real-time current and voltage monitoring
- STMicroelectronics VL53L0X: Time-of-Flight (ToF) distance sensor
- Micro SD Reader: On-board data backup and logging
- 0.96" SPI OLED: Visual interface for user interaction
- Power: Li-Pol battery 3.7V 1000mAh
Operation & Use Cases
- Stand-Alone LTE: Uses own 4G/5G module to send data to Grafana Dashboard.
- MESH Network: Relays signals via LoRa when cellular is unavailable to a connected peer.
- Collector Node: Drone retrieves signals from nodes in valleys.
- Emergency Lifeline: User presses physical SOS button, transmits coordinates + status via the network directly to rescuers.