CUET's 'Team Staraptor' heads to Teknofest in Turkiye: district administration grants Tk 100,000 for 3D-printed VTOL drone

The Chattogram district administration has granted Tk 100,000 to 'Team Staraptor', a research team of the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) that is set to take part in the Teknofest international drone technology competition in Turkiye.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah handed the grant money to the students at a ceremony held in the conference room of the Chattogram Circuit House on Thursday (12 November). The theme of the event was 'District Administration Chattogram for the development of talent and the advancement of technology'.

The CUET team is preparing to compete in the 'Teknofest Turkiye 2027' international technology competition, to be held in Turkiye in March-April next year. For the competition they have taken up a project to build a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone using 3D printing technology, and the district administration gave the grant to support the research and preparations.

At the event, the deputy commissioner said: 'Our talent has no limits. Whatever gap we have in technology will be filled by the innovative power and skills of the young generation. It is the talented young people who will take Bangladesh to a strong position in the world of technology.'

Praising the CUET students, he added that they are working on a technology that is important not only for Bangladesh but for the whole world. He hoped the team would do well in the international competition and create a positive impression of Bangladesh.

Highlighting the potential of drone technology, Zahidul Islam Miah said the use of drones is growing in many important fields, from increasing agricultural production onwards, and countries including China are using the technology in agriculture to raise productivity. But drones are also used for military and destructive purposes, so the positive, human-welfare use of technology must be emphasised. In his words, 'Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master.'

Assuring the students of further support, the deputy commissioner said they need more funding and institutional help to implement the project and join the international competition. If the drone's capability is proven, the matter will be raised at the higher levels of government, contacts and recommendations will be made for the necessary support, and steps will be taken so they can receive assistance through the Bangladesh embassy during their stay in Turkiye. He added that if the innovation is appreciated at the international competition, efforts will be made to provide more support in future.

He said: 'Just as we stand beside fishermen and come forward to help flood-affected people, we also want to stand beside the talented children of the country, because the country's future is in their hands. We dream many dreams with them.'

At the event, Team Staraptor leader Rashid Abrar Azmain said students of the 2022 and 2023 batches of CUET's mechanical engineering department are building the drone. Although the use of VTOL drones is growing in military and civilian fields, Bangladesh has a gap in research and development of this technology, and their initiative aims to fill that gap.

The team claims their drone, named 'The Staraptor', is the country's first quadplane VTOL drone based entirely on 3D printing technology. It will be able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and, once in the air, fly forward like a regular aircraft.

According to the students, the drone has a wingspan of 1,340 millimetres and a length of 990 millimetres, and is being built with carbon fibre and specialised 3D printing materials. Its planned maximum payload capacity is 15 kilograms, and it will be able to fly at 60 to 70 kilometres per hour.

The drone is planned to use a Pixhawk 6C flight controller, a Raspberry Pi computer, GPS and a telemetry system. The students claim that, combining these technologies, the drone will be able to reach a designated destination following software instructions without a remote control, deliver cargo and return automatically.

Team leader Rashid Abrar Azmain said: 'Our goal is to build a drone that can complete its assigned mission automatically. In future, this technology can play an important role in agriculture, healthcare, disaster management and cargo delivery.'

The students said that if the drone can be produced at comparatively low cost with domestic technology, it could be used to deliver emergency medical supplies to remote areas, supply relief to flood-affected areas, support farm work and transport goods quickly in cities. The team also plans to build a 'tri-mode mobility drone' able to move on land, in the air and on water, and is working towards establishing a permanent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research cell at CUET.

Team leader Rashid Abrar Azmain thanked the district administration for the financial support and the assurance of cooperation. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Sharif Uddin, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Pathan Md Saiduzzaman, senior officials of the district administration and members of Team Staraptor were present at the event.