How can trajectory generation for unmanned helicopters be optimized to better reflect operator intent across different flight scenarios?
This was the challenge tackled by two students at UMS Skeldar during this year’s SEDDIT summer project programme. Each year, SEDDIT partner companies propose engineering challenges for six-week student projects, giving students the opportunity to work on real industrial problems with support from both industry and academia.
The project focused on trajectory generation for the Skeldar V-200 unmanned helicopter platform, combining autonomy, flight control, route planning and human-machine interaction. Recent graduate Anna Geijer, who studied Engineering Physics and Electrical Engineering before completing a master’s degree in Engineering Mathematics, worked together with Lucas Sommerfeld, a Mechanical Engineering student specializing in Mechatronics. Both were attracted by the opportunity to take responsibility for a project from concept to delivery.
“Our goal was to create intuitive solutions that would make it easier for operators to control autonomous helicopter missions.”
The students developed models that enable the aircraft to perform surveillance and route-following tasks in a way that better matches operator expectations while accounting for restricted areas and varying mission conditions. Working closely with engineers across the company, they combined expertise from their different academic backgrounds, explored new concepts and refined their solutions through continuous feedback and testing.
The project resulted in a test application that integrates several trajectory-generation concepts. The application allows engineers and operators to evaluate different route-planning alternatives, adjust parameters and explore how autonomous flight behaviour can be adapted to different operational scenarios. A key objective was to make mission adjustments intuitive and accessible without requiring users to interact directly with code.
Beyond the technical outcomes, Anna and Lucas emphasize the value of being integrated into the workplace and gaining first-hand experience of industrial development processes. They also highlight the benefits of university-industry collaborations, which provide exposure to teamwork, project management and real engineering challenges while helping companies explore new ideas and perspectives.
Ola Härkegård, Senior Flight Control Engineer at UMS Skeldar, notes that the SEDDIT summer programme offers a valuable opportunity to address product-relevant technical challenges while benefiting from the energy and fresh perspectives that motivated students bring to the organisation. The programme also allows companies to showcase their work and engage with future talent.
The experience has already influenced future career plans. Anna gained valuable insight into what to look for in a future employer, while Lucas says the project strengthened his interest in autonomous aerial systems.
To sum up, the students describe the project as a valuable experience characterised by initiative, problem-solving and collaboration. Their reflections illustrate the ambition of the SEDDIT summer programme: creating opportunities for students, researchers and industry partners to work together on real-world engineering challenges.