Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system

Existing multi-rotor drone-based winching platforms can be expensive, complex, proprietary, and heavy. Here, an inexpensive, simple, effective, and lightweight drone winching platform named the CLARK-3 is described. This winching platform is suitable for payloads of up to 3 kg in its existing config...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: William Crowe, Benicio Costales, Kyle Luthy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:HardwareX
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067225000203
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850119569488740352
author William Crowe
Benicio Costales
Kyle Luthy
author_facet William Crowe
Benicio Costales
Kyle Luthy
author_sort William Crowe
collection DOAJ
description Existing multi-rotor drone-based winching platforms can be expensive, complex, proprietary, and heavy. Here, an inexpensive, simple, effective, and lightweight drone winching platform named the CLARK-3 is described. This winching platform is suitable for payloads of up to 3 kg in its existing configuration and relies heavily on readily available standard parts and 3D printed components while being compatible with a variety of drone controllers. The CLARK-3 in its existing configuration weighs 0.8 kg, can hold up to 27 m of 130 N monofilament, and has a low power consumption at maximum load (∼16 W). Considerations were made during the design of the CLARK-3 to ensure field serviceability by reducing part count and simplifying disassembly.
format Article
id doaj-art-8309e6aedf3645dfa1bee5b86f670e1c
institution OA Journals
issn 2468-0672
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series HardwareX
spelling doaj-art-8309e6aedf3645dfa1bee5b86f670e1c2025-08-20T02:35:36ZengElsevierHardwareX2468-06722025-06-0122e0064210.1016/j.ohx.2025.e00642Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching systemWilliam Crowe0Benicio Costales1Kyle Luthy2Wake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, United StatesWake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, United StatesCorresponding author.; Wake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, United StatesExisting multi-rotor drone-based winching platforms can be expensive, complex, proprietary, and heavy. Here, an inexpensive, simple, effective, and lightweight drone winching platform named the CLARK-3 is described. This winching platform is suitable for payloads of up to 3 kg in its existing configuration and relies heavily on readily available standard parts and 3D printed components while being compatible with a variety of drone controllers. The CLARK-3 in its existing configuration weighs 0.8 kg, can hold up to 27 m of 130 N monofilament, and has a low power consumption at maximum load (∼16 W). Considerations were made during the design of the CLARK-3 to ensure field serviceability by reducing part count and simplifying disassembly.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067225000203WinchDroneRemoteAerialEnvironmental Sampling
spellingShingle William Crowe
Benicio Costales
Kyle Luthy
Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system
HardwareX
Winch
Drone
Remote
Aerial
Environmental Sampling
title Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system
title_full Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system
title_fullStr Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system
title_full_unstemmed Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system
title_short Design and fabrication of a 3D-printed drone-integrated winching system
title_sort design and fabrication of a 3d printed drone integrated winching system
topic Winch
Drone
Remote
Aerial
Environmental Sampling
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067225000203
work_keys_str_mv AT williamcrowe designandfabricationofa3dprinteddroneintegratedwinchingsystem
AT beniciocostales designandfabricationofa3dprinteddroneintegratedwinchingsystem
AT kyleluthy designandfabricationofa3dprinteddroneintegratedwinchingsystem