Students Successfully Integrate Hydrogen Fuel Cell System into Fixed-Wing Drone

Mechanical Engineering students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University have successfully retrofitted a fixed-wing drone with a hydrogen fuel cell system. The project, known as GHOST and sponsored by Honeywell Aerospace, aimed to explore whether hydrogen can become a viable propulsion source for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).

The students worked in two teams, one at the Prescott campus and the other at Daytona Beach. They used fuel cell technology still in its prototype phase, which presented significant challenges.

'We had all these questions and no answers,' said Joshua Siegler, team lead at Prescott. 'That kind of set the tone for the rest of the project.'

The project exposed students to the realities of introducing new technology into a developing market. Ian Martin, an advanced project engineer with Honeywell Aerospace and industry advisor, praised the students' work.

'The requirements were broad, and I encouraged the students to perform their own market research to think critically about the needs of the customer when choosing the platform,' he said.