Design and Autonomous Flight Demonstration of a Low-Cost Cardboard-Based UAV

This study presents the development of a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) employing cardboard as the primary structural material and integrating affordable avionics. The wing spar was constructed entirely from cardboard, and its structural performance was experimentally validated through load testing. To address the limitations of low-cost motion sensors, a custom centrifugal acceleration testing device was designed and utilized to evaluate sensor accuracy. Furthermore, an in-house flight control computer (FCC) and avionics suite were developed to achieve low-cost implementation. Flight tests demonstrated that the proposed cardboard-based UAV achieved stable autonomous flight. The findings confirm the feasibility of combining ultra-low-cost structural materials with low-cost avionics, highlighting the potential of this platform for educational and research applications.