Case 3 : Cowden Technologies

CASE 3: "Powering Docking Platforms for Small Drones" submitted by Cowden Technologies 

About Cowden Technologies: Cowden Technologies, LLC was founded in 2015 with a primary focus on providing software engineering services for external clients. While the company is still providing limited software consulting services, the focus has shifted to product development of autonomous robotic systems. The company is currently developing autonomous drone technology that can enable remote environment management without requiring human supervision.

Case Details: Cowden Technologies, LLC is looking for practical, cost effective, and environmentally conscious solutions for powering docking platforms for small drones. This case asks how Cowden Technologies, LLC can use only or primarily renewable energy to recharge electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles while docked with a platform capable of recharging batteries, such as Cowden Technologies’s smart docking station for drones​.                               

The goals are to:

          --Enable drone docking station operation in remote areas where there is limited access to traditional power grids and where it is unsafe or cost ineffective for personnel to work.

          --Promote the use of renewable energy early in the development and deployment stages of autonomous drone technology.

Desired solution characteristics:

          --Provide research on how different renewable energy technologies have been used as a dedicated power source for non-trivial installations (successful or otherwise)

          --Cost-benefit analysis of each recommended technology

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