UPRM Aero Design is a multidisciplinary remote-controlled aircraft design team from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Collegiate chapter from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM). The team is composed of approximately forty-five (45) collegiate members from diverse science and engineering disciplines. This coming year, the team will represent Puerto Rico in the SAE Aero Design West competition, organized by SAE International, against eighty-five (85) teams or more from universities around the world. The competition promotes innovation in the aerospace industry through challenging missions and design constraints inspired by current technology trends. The team’s goal is to design lightweight, efficient, and reliable aircraft capable of lifting the highest possible weight while meeting design specifications.

Since the team’s creation in the year 1995, UPRM Aero Design has elevated Puerto Rico’s name by achieving the highest recognitions at the SAE Aero Design East and West competitions. Our diversity, organization, outstanding technical skills, and focus on transforming design into reality are the keys that have maintained our excellence through the years.


The Projects

Micro Class

Regular Class

Advanced Class

Aero Connect Challenge

MICRO CLASS
This category is aimed at designing for the highest lifting efficiency, parameterized by the “payload fraction”. Also, the mission requirements and scoring formula prioritize highly deployable and user-friendly designs inspired by Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (M-UAV) applications.

REGULAR CLASS
The goal of this category is to design an aircraft capable of lifting the highest possible payload and completing the specified mission requirements. Compliance with size and weight constraints, along with the positive effect of reliability, encourage optimization.

ADVANCED CLASS
The theme for this redesigned category is Mars exploration. The goal is to design an aircraft that can successfully deliver colonists, habitats and water supply drops to the Planet's surface. The competition demands efficiency in every aspect, as our score is directly tied to the amount of supplies and colonists we can deliver while adhering to the constraints on weight and dimensions imposed by the rules.

AERO CONNECT CHALLENGE
This challenge allows students to think critically about problems in the mobility engineering industry and apply the use of current and future emerging technologies.

The Projects

Micro Class

MICRO CLASS
This category is aimed at designing for the highest lifting efficiency, parameterized by the “payload fraction”. Also, the mission requirements and scoring formula prioritize highly deployable and user-friendly designs inspired by Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (M-UAV) applications.

Regular Class

REGULAR CLASS
The goal of this category is to design an aircraft capable of lifting the highest possible payload and completing the specified mission requirements. Compliance with size and weight constraints, along with the positive effect of reliability, encourage optimization.

Advanced Class

ADVANCED CLASS
The theme for this redesigned category is Mars exploration. The goal is to design an aircraft that can successfully deliver colonists, habitats and water supply drops to the Planet's surface. The competition demands efficiency in every aspect, as our score is directly tied to the amount of supplies and colonists we can deliver while adhering to the constraints on weight and dimensions imposed by the rules.

Aero Connect Challenge

AERO CONNECT CHALLENGE
This challenge allows students to think critically about problems in the mobility engineering industry and apply the use of current and future emerging technologies.



Awards

2021

Micro Class Overall 2nd Place
Advanced Class Overall 3rd Place
Regular Class Overall 3rd Place
Micro Class Technical Report 2nd Place
Regular Class Technical Report 2nd Place
Advanced Class Technical Report 2nd Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Presentation 5th Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 8th Place
Regular Class Flight 3rd Place

2020

Micro Class Overall 1st Place
Advanced Class Overall 1st Place
Regular Class Overall 2nd Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Micro Class Technical Report 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Report 1st Place

2019

Regular Class Overall 4th Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Presentation 3rd Place
Micro Class Technical Report 3rd Place

2018

Micro Class Technical Report 1st Place

2017

Micro Class Overall 4th Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 2nd Place

2016

Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Micro Class Written Design Report 1st Place
Regular Class Written Design Report 1st Place

2015

Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 3rd Place

2014

Micro Class Highest Payload Fraction 1st Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 2nd Place

2013

Micro Class Payload Fraction 3rd Place

2012

Regular Class Presentation 1st Place

2011

Micro Class Overall 4th Place








Awards

2021

Micro Class Overall 2nd Place
Advanced Class Overall 3rd Place
Regular Class Overall 3rd Place
Micro Class Technical Report 2nd Place
Regular Class Technical Report 2nd Place
Advanced Class Technical Report 2nd Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Presentation 5th Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 8th Place
Regular Class Flight 3rd Place

2020

Micro Class Overall 1st Place
Advanced Overall 1st Place
Regular Class Overall 2nd Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Micro Class Technical Report 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Report 1st Place

2019

Regular Class Overall 4th Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Advanced Class Technical Presentation 3rd Place
Micro Class Technical Report 3rd Place

2018

Micro Class Technical Report 1st Place

2017

Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 2nd Place
Micro Class Overall 4th Place

2016

Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Micro and Regular Class Written Design Report 1st Place

2015

Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 3rd Place

2014

Micro Class Highest Payload Fraction 1st Place
Micro Class Technical Presentation 1st Place
Regular Class Technical Presentation 2nd Place

2013

Micro Class Payload Fraction 3rd Place

2012

Regular Class Presentation 1st Place

2011

Micro Class Overall 4th Place



UPRM Aero Design Aero Design Team
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
Mechanical Engineering Department P.O. Box 9045
Mayaguez, PR 00681-9045

Contact:
email aerodesign.uprm@gmail.com
local_phone 787-420-0455