Package containing The ArduCopter 2.8 board has finally arrived. Chinabearing the burden of our expectation. I remember when I picked it up, the cardboard box was slightly battered during the journey. When I tore through the layers of tape, it felt like I was unwrapping a long-awaited gift. But when I took the ArduCopter 2.8 board out of the box, my heart sank. The board that was to be the cornerstone of our project looked worn and old, with visible scuffs and bent pins. This was just one of a series of failures my team faced.
It all started when I was assigned a mechanical engineering project in Obafemi Awolowo University (UAE), located in the heart of Ile-Ifu, an ancient Yoruba city in Osun State, in the southwest Nigeriawhere I am studying mechanical engineering and entering the last year of a five-year program. OAU is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Nigeria, known for its beautiful campus and architecture. Some people I know call it the “Stanford of Nigeria” because of the significant number of brilliant startups it came off. However, despite its reputation, the OAU, like every other federally owned institution in Nigeria, is underfunded and suffer from teachers' strikeswhich led to interruptions in studies. The lack of funding means that students must pay for their undergraduate projects themselves, making the success of any project largely dependent on the financial capabilities of the students.
Dr. Oluwaseun K. Ajayispecialist in the field of computer-aided design (CAD), the design of machines and mechanisms gave us the freedom to choose the final design. I proposed a research project based on an article entitled “A method for preliminary modeling of the interaction of wheels and terrain in space Rovers: Case study on UAE Rashid Rover” To Ahmad Abubakar and co-authors. But due to the computing resources required, it was rejected. Instead, Dr. Ajayi suggested that my fellow students and I build observation drone because it was consistent with his own research. Dr. Ajayi, a passionate and dedicated researcher, was interested in the potential practical applications of our project. His constant drive to progress, although sometimes overwhelming, was rooted in his desire to see us do meaningful work.
Once my team finished working through preliminary drone concepts in CAD designs, we were ready to put in the money to make our idea a reality. We did a cost analysis and decided to use a third party supplier to help us source our components from China. We went this route because of the shipping and customs issues we had previously encountered. Taking a third-party route should have solved the problem. We had no idea what would happen.
By the time we completed our cost analysis and started fundraising, the prices of the components we needed had skyrocketed due to the sudden economic crisis and the Nigerian naira depreciating by 35 percent against the US dollar at the end of January 2024. This was the crux of our problem.
There were originally 12 of us, but due to the high cost per person, Dr. Ajayi asked for another group led by Tons of Suovereto merge with mine. Tonbra's team planned robotic arm project until Dr. Ajayi brought our teams together and assigned us to work on a drone with the goal of exhibiting it. National Space Research and Development Agencyin Abuja, Nigeria. The merger increased our group to 25 members, which helped with individual financial burdens, but also meant that not everyone would be actively involved in the project. Many simply contributed their share of the money.
Tonbra and I pushed the project forward.
With Dr. Ajayi's agreement, my teammates and I gave up “observation” on the drone project and raised money just for the development of the drone, totaling about 350,000 Naira (approximately $249 USD). We had to cut costs, which meant deviating from the original specifications of some components, such as the flight controller, battery and power distribution board. Otherwise the price would be even more intolerable.
We were supposed to order components from China on February 5, 2024. Unfortunately, as we were told, there are long holidays in China, so we will not receive the components until March. This led to tense discussions with Dr Ajayi, despite informing him of the situation. Why is there such pressure? Our school term ends in March, and if the components arrive in March, it will mean the project will be long overdue by the time we finish it. At the same time, we, students, at the end of the semester underwent mandatory educational and industrial practice.
Oluwatosin Kolade, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Nigeria OBAFEMI AWOLO USTIAN AWOLO USTIANS, SAYS the drone project has taught him the value of failure.Andrew Ezibo
But what choice did we have? We couldn't refuse the project – it would cost us a grade.
By mid-March, we received most of the components and immediately started working on the drone. We 3D printed the frame at a cost of 50 Naira (approximately US$0.03) per gram of a 570 gram frame, for a total cost of 28,500 Naira (approximately US$18).
Next, we began to build a power distribution system for electrical components. We originally planned to use a power distribution board to distribute power evenly from the battery to the ESCs and rotors. However, the board we originally ordered was no longer in stock. Forced to improvise, we used Verobord instead of. We connected the battery in parallel with the speed controllers so that each rotor receives the same power. This improvisation did mean additional expenses, since we had to rent soldering irons, hand drills, hot glue, cables, digital multimeter and other tools from the electronics center in the center of Ile-Ife.
Everything was going smoothly until it came time to configure the flight controller – an ArduCopter 2.8 board – using a program called Mission Planner. We worked every day, combing YouTube videos, online forums, Stack Exchange and other resources for guidance, all to no avail. We even downgraded the Mission Planner software several times, only to discover that the board we had been waiting so patiently for was outdated. It was truly heartbreaking, but we couldn't order another one because we didn't have time to wait for it to arrive. In addition, purchasing another flight controller will cost an additional amount – 240,000 naira (about 150 US dollars) for Pixhawk Flight Controller 2.4.8— which we didn’t have.
We knew that without a flight controller our drone would be unfinished. However, given the time constraints of the end of the semester, we decided to proceed with setting up the transmitter and receiver. We made the final connections and tested the components without the flight controller. To ensure that the transmitter can drive all four rotors simultaneously, we tested each rotor individually with each transmitter channel. The goal was to assign a single channel on the transmitter that would activate and synchronize all four rotors, allowing them to spin in unison during flight. This was extremely important because without proper synchronization the drone would not be able to maintain stable flight.
“This experience taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, teamwork and the harsh realities of engineering projects undertaken by students in Nigeria.”
After final setup and testing of components, we began testing our drone in its final form. But a few minutes into testing, our battery died. This failure meant the project was a failure and we were incredibly disappointed.
When we finally presented our project to Dr. Ajayi, the deadline had already passed. He told us to charge the battery so he could see the drone come to life even though it couldn't fly. But circumstances prevented us from ordering a charger, and we were at a loss as to where to get help with the flight controller and battery. There are no technical centers for such things in Ile-Ife. We told Dr. Ajayi that we could not do what he asked and explained the situation to him. Finally, he allowed us to present our work, and all team members received course credit.
Resourcefulness is no substitute for funding
This experience taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, teamwork, and the harsh reality of engineering projects undertaken by students in Nigeria. He showed me that while technical knowledge is critical, the ability to adapt and improvise when faced with unexpected problems is equally important. I also learned that failure, although disappointing, is not the end, but a stepping stone towards growth and improvement.
At my school, the requirements for mechanical engineering students are extremely high. For example, in one semester I was sometimes assigned up to four different major projects, each from a different professor. Besides the drone project, I worked on two other important projects for other courses. The reality is that a student's ability to do well on these projects often depends heavily on financial resources. We are constantly burdened with the costs of implementing numerous projects. The country's ongoing economic problems, including currency devaluation and inflation, only add to this burden.
Fundamentally, when the world, including graduate admissions committees and industry recruiters, evaluates the transcripts of Nigerian engineering graduates, it is critical to recognize that the score may not fully reflect a student's ability in a particular course. They may also reflect financial constraints, difficulties in acquiring equipment and materials, and the broader economic situation. This understanding should guide how transcripts are interpreted, as they tell not only about academic achievement, but also about persistence in the face of significant challenges.
As I progress in my education, I plan to apply these lessons to future projects, knowing that persistence and resourcefulness will be the key to overcoming obstacles. The failed drone project also gave me a realistic insight into the world of work, where unexpected failures and budget constraints are commonplace. It prepared me to approach my career with a practical mindset and the understanding that success often depends on how well you deal with challenges, not just how well you execute plans.
Articles from your site
Related articles on the Internet
