New COMET Multicopter Platform: First Test Prototype Developed in Mini Format
10 April, 2025
At the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, the new COMET multicopter platform (“Cost-efficient Open-Source Multicopter for Embedded-Systems Teaching”) was developed specifically for use in teaching and research in the field of embedded systems.
As part of research into functional safety in the field of drone technology, the first internal test prototype of a compact multicopter platform in mini format was developed at the competence field of embedded systems at UAS Technikum Wien. The system serves as a universal teaching, testing and research platform with the aim of providing a documented open-source solution for safe hexacopters.
Versatile platform for teaching and research
The new multicopter platform, called COMET (Cost-efficient Open-Source Multikopter for Embedded-Systems Teaching), was specifically designed for use in teaching and research. Students can use it in their bachelor’s and master’s theses to test various applications and control concepts. It also serves as an internal test platform for the FFG project SAMURAI and will be further developed in future research projects.
In-house development with an innovative design
COMET was developed in-house because there are currently no well-documented open-source projects for reliable hexacopters in a Y-design that guarantee functional safety. The platform was designed using CAD software, and the first prototype was successfully printed and assembled. This innovative approach enables flexible and cost-efficient use in a variety of technical applications. A special feature is that all parts (except for electronics and assembly parts) can be produced entirely by 3D printing. This means that the platform is not dependent on externally purchased frames that may no longer be available after some time. This provides significantly more flexibility with regard to sensor technology.
With the development of the COMET prototype, the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien is taking an important step in the research and teaching of multicopter technologies and offers students and researchers a powerful platform for future projects.
SAMURAI combines the expertise of Austrian companies and research institutions in the field of multirotor hardware and software. The team consists of the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, the University of Klagenfurt (AAU), specifically the research group Control of Networked Systems (CNS), Infineon Technologies Austria AG (IFAT) and twins GmbH (TWINS).
This project is funded by the FFG (Take Off Call 2023) under grant FO999913968 and coordinated by UASTW.
The SAMURAI project is carried out by Roman Beneder (project lead), Patrick Schmitt (deputy project lead), Johannes Anderle and Volker Tenta (both research associates for electronic design and embedded systems software) and Christoph Böhm (research associate for embedded control systems and state estimation for UAVs).
Further links:
Field of expertise: Embedded Systems
Faculty of Electronic Engineering & Entrepreneurship
Kickoff of SAMURAI: Safe Flying for Multicopter Drones
FFG Safe Multikopter for Reliable Aviation (SAMURAI)
SAMURAI – Research project – UAS Technikum Wien
FFG project database – SAMURAI – SAfe MUltikopter for Reliable AvIation
Autonom auf Abstand: FHTW-Team mit Quadkopter-Vorführung zu Gast bei Infineon in Graz
