Renkang Chen Email and Phone Number

Designed a series of new testing, data-processing, and modelling procedures of motors, speed controllers, propellers, and batteries in 2024, enabling high-fidelity computer simulations of aircraft performance with the aerodynamics sub-team for the first time in the team’s history.Lead the development of the team’s first 44.4-Volt propulsion system in 2023: producing 44% greater maximum static thrust, 34% improved cruise efficiency at 25% faster speeds, for only an 8% increase to overall system weight compared to the previous generation 29.6-Volt system, powering the team to place 3rd out of 107 international teams in 2024.Researched and modelled the mechanics of electric propulsion through trade studies relating system performance to battery voltage, motor sizing, and propeller configuration.Coded a MATLAB program that numerically simulates any motor-propeller configurations from the database for accurate performance prediction.Revolutionized the team’s avionics architecture by sourcing and configuring state-of-the-art components from industry.Configured new flight computer and sensor suite, bringing PID-stabilization, rate-controlled flight, telemetry monitoring, and flight data-collection in a lightweight package (37g excluding wires).Implemented new transceivers with digital protocol, improving control latency to 3ms and link quality by 50%Introduced flight engineering to advise aircraft set-up and aircraft upgrades using telemetry and data analysis.Reached out to technology sponsors to increase performance while reducing cost.

Curate content to showcase the talented engineering students on the team.Produce an image of professionalism through web, graphics, and social media design.Secure sponsors and fulfill sponsorship deals.Document the engineering journey of the team.Design, manufacture, and test avionics and propulsion systems.