Screw Gravity

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  Internal electronics

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  CAD drawing with chassis and cover

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  bottom showing the four halbach arrays

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  Halbach Array Demo

Inspiration

We saw the startup "Hendo" and researched the technology behind their prototypes, Halbach Arrays. It has a very small DIY following so we thought it was a novel, interesting, and exciting project.

What it does

Four brushless motors controlled by an arduino spin four Halbach arrays at ~2k rpm. This allows it to hover above a conductive surface (in our case, an aluminum plate) and move with little resistance.

How we built it

The chassis is laser-cut from acrylic. The control system was written from scratch in Arduino. The Halbach arrays are also built from scratch from magnets and laser-cut acrylic, and laminated with kapton tape for strength.

Challenges we ran into

We ran into several design challenges with fitting all parts in a compact scale. Additionally, one of our ESC motor controllers blew up during testing, requiring us to think creatively and use non-standard parts. The Halbach arrays required a high RPM to generate enough lift, which was difficult to achieve and structurally withstand.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our hovercraft was able to hover for around 10 seconds, and move freely during that time.

What we learned

• Always bring extra parts
• Unforeseen challenges will always arise
• Move forward from challenges and barriers quickly

What's next for Screw Gravity

We want to make a more powerful, lighter, and agile hovercraft.

Built With

• arduino
• autocad
• hardware
• solidworks