Research Challenges / Challenge One
Case Study #1
Re-imagining the drone design process
Summary
The Digital Design Network+ Challenge Case Study 1 focused on the challenge of reimagining the drone design process. Delivered in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield, the challenge encouraged participants to explore innovative approaches to drone design, drawing on AMRC’s existing Digital Thread-enabled drone design process as both a point of comparison and a foundation for further development. Participants also had access to pre-existing CAD and simulation models to support the development of their solutions.
The challenge was successfully completed by three multidisciplinary teams comprising 14 participants from a range of academic backgrounds. The teams were led by Dr Andrew Wodehouse (University of Strathclyde) and Dr James Gopsill (University of Bristol), who provided guidance and expertise throughout the programme. Through collaborative working and the application of digital design methodologies, the teams developed innovative responses to the challenge, combining expertise from multiple disciplines to produce a diverse range of solutions. The outputs demonstrated the value of collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange in addressing complex engineering and design challenges, while showcasing the potential of digital design approaches to transform future drone development processes.
Team 1
Accelerating Drone Design Process for Challenging Environments
This case study illustrated the application of key technologies and tools that enabled a rapid end-to-end digital design framework, progressing from system requirements through to verification. The framework brought together patent-informed design knowledge support, topological design optimisation, machine learning-enhanced aerodynamic analysis, flight simulation, and LLM-based autonomous test generation for the verification and validation of designs against specified requirements. The work demonstrated how these integrated digital technologies could support a streamlined and efficient design process from concept development through to validation.
Team 2
Accessible Data, Rapid Low-fi Simulations and Visualisation Towards an Additive UAV Digital Thread
This team case study reimagined the drone design process through a VR demonstration of rapid in-situ editing of CAD surface models, enabling design changes to be analysed using low-fidelity CFD simulations and refined through iterative development. The final design utilised rapid, uncertainty-aware design optimisation and additive manufacturing techniques, demonstrating how digital technologies can significantly reduce prototyping costs and accelerate the drone design process.
Team 3
Technologically Driven Design: A Swarm Search and Rescue Drone
This team case study demonstrated a technology-supported design process for the development of a swarm-capable search and rescue drone. The process began with AI-supported component selection and early-stage design considerations, progressed through immersive physical design using a VR configurator, and leveraged AI and VR technologies to accelerate iterative analytical refinement. The work showcased how the integration of advanced digital tools can support more efficient and informed drone design and development.
Outputs
Title: Individual Participant Reports
In addition to the team case study outputs, participants completed individual reports detailing their contribution to the challenge. Collectively, these reports demonstrate the breadth of expertise involved and the value of multidisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex design challenges.
To explore these individual perspectives in more detail, click on a participant’s name below to access their report.
Individual Participant Reports
Team 1
Dr Johannes Josef Norheim Report
Team 2
Team 3
If you have further questions, please e-mail: digitaldesignnetwork@qub.ac.uk