Parachute Deployment Mechanism
A compact, reusable solution enabling airborne deliveries to arrive safely at their target.
Farcast (formerly DASH Systems) was in the midst of developing their plane-to-ground package delivery system and needed to implement a parachute deployment mechanism for landing. It needed to be compact, lightweight, reusable, and most importantly, reliable.
We started by gathering the necessary requirements; where it would be stowed, allowable footprint, operating conditions, strength considerations, available controls on the system’s board, and more. After compiling these details and a few rounds of iteration, we arrived at a concept that enabled failsafe storage, manual operator reset, and simultaneous release of the drogue and primary parachutes, all driven by one inexpensive servo.
From there, prototypes and test plans were created to validate the system both on ground and in flight. With the system approved, final drawings and documentation were created, preparing Farcast to move onto producing the system at larger scales.
