Mechanical Engineering
CAD
Autonomous Systems
Aerial Flame Force
An autonomous quadcopter drone with a fire-suppression unit, concepted through CAD and fire-propagation modeling — removing firefighters from danger entirely.
Aerial Flame Force drone with fire suppressant carrier attached underneath
Role
Mechanical Engineering & CAD
Timeline
4 Months
Tools
OnShape, 3D Printing,
Arduino
Method
Iterative prototyping across five subsystems, validated through flight and suppression testing.
My process

From first sketches to a tested, working prototype — the full arc this project moved through.

Sketch of fire suppression concepts 1 and 2, staggered hole water-release mechanism (process thumbnail)
01
Brainstorm
Sketched drone configurations capable of carrying and deploying targeted fire suppressant during early-stage wildfires. Explored four release mechanisms before narrowing in.
Subsystem hierarchy diagram: Chassis, Fire Suppression, Electronic, Propulsion, and Hub subsystems (process thumbnail)
02
Research
Studied wildfire response tactics, payload requirements, and existing drone chassis designs for durability under heat. Broke the build into five subsystems to manage scope.
3D-printed fire suppression prototype with working servo mechanism (process thumbnail)
03
Prototyping
Iterated chassis, propulsion hub, and electronics system prototypes to support a working suppression payload, including a custom soldered PCB.
Hand holding the assembled drone chassis with electronics board mounted at center (process thumbnail)
04
User Testing
Tested flight stability and suppression deployment under controlled conditions to validate the concept against real payload weight.
CAD render of fire suppression Iteration 3, refined design (process thumbnail)
05
Iteration
Refined the chassis and electronics across multiple builds to improve reliability and payload accuracy, with suppression alone reaching a third iteration.
The problem

Climate change has driven up wildfire risk across the western United States. The U.S. Forest Service employs 11,187 wildland firefighters — and openly admits it isn't enough; 170 firefighters died fighting wildland fires between 2007 and 2016. Aerial Flame Force is a specialized quadcopter drone with a fire suppression unit, built using considerations from the U.S. Forest Service and customer interviews, designed to extinguish wildfires early — before they spread — and to create proactive fire lines.

“Due to frequent wildfires, lack of funding, and rising fatalities — how can we create a solution that is affordable, nationwide, and does not expose firefighters to dangerous conditions?”
Subsystem hierarchy diagram: Chassis, Fire Suppression, Electronic, Propulsion, and Hub subsystems
Fig. 1 — Subsystem hierarchy
Chassis — iteration

The chassis went through four major iterations, all CAD-designed in OnShape and 3D printed — moving from a conventional bolt design to countersunk screws for flush aerodynamic surfaces, then adding structural ridges for print rigidity.

The final iteration integrated lightweight injection-molded propeller guards, protecting the blades without adding meaningful weight or restricting flight performance.