Final Year Project: Solar Powered UAV Flight Simulation

Real-Time Data Integration & Long-Endurance Aerospace Modeling

For my Final Year Project, I developed a simulation framework to maximize the endurance of Limosaero’s solar-powered UAV. While mechanical watches and robotic keepers deal with immediate physical movements, this project focused on the long game: harvesting energy from the sun to stay airborne indefinitely.

The system processes real-time UAV data inputs to simulate flight behavior and calculate optimal paths. By modeling performance across complex variables—including fluctuating weather patterns and full tropical year cycles—I was able to identify the most efficient flight envelopes. The result was a tangible 23% extension in the UAV’s operational range, proving that smart data integration is just as vital as the hardware itself.