Module 8: Special Delivery

WOVEN
Special Delivery
Module 8  ·  Drone Delivery Challenge
UC Merced Drone Workshop  ·  Engineer a carrier. Fly the payload. Nail the drop.

Real companies deliver medicine and packages by drone every day. Your mission: design a carrier out of simple materials, attach it to your drone, and deliver a candy payload to a target. The catch — your drone is small, so every gram counts.

1
📦 The Mission

Design and build a lightweight carrier that holds your candy payload, attaches to your drone, and lets you deliver it to a target zone without dropping it by accident along the way.

🧰 Materials
Small paper cups  •  masking tape  •  paper clips  •  your candy payload  •  your charged drone  •  a target zone to deliver to
⚠️ The #1 rule: keep it light

Your drone is small and can only lift so much. A heavy carrier will not take off, or will fly like a drunk bee. Start with the lightest candy and the smallest carrier possible. Cut the cup down to a little scoop instead of using the whole thing. Test, then add — never start heavy.

2
🛠️ Design Your Carrier

Every team makes three decisions: where it mounts, how it balances, and how it releases.

Decision 1 — Mount on top or hang below?

On top: more stable and keeps the bottom clear. Keep it small and centered between the propellers so it never touches a spinning blade.

Hang below: makes for a dramatic drop, but a hanging load swings like a pendulum and can throw off your flight. Keep any string short.

⚠️ Watch the sensors underneath

Your drone uses sensors on its underside to hold steady and judge its height. If you hang a carrier below, do not cover or block those sensors — the drone will lose its altitude hold and get squirrelly. Keep anything hanging off to the side of the sensors and well clear of the props.

Decision 2 — Balance it

Attach the carrier so the weight sits centered, not off to one side. An unbalanced drone fights to stay level and drains the battery fast. Tape and paperclip hooks are your friends.

Decision 3 — How do you release?

This is the fun engineering part. How does the candy come out at the target and not before?

• Tip & dump: a cup that tips over when you land or nudge it.   • Paperclip hook: a hook that lets the payload slide off.   • Land & detach: set down gently and let it go.   • Your own idea?
3
🔁 Build & Test
Step 1 — Lift test first

Before you worry about the target, just find out: can your drone take off and hover steadily with the empty carrier? Then add the candy and test again. If it struggles, lighten the carrier, re-center the weight, or shorten anything hanging.

Step 2 — Practice the flight

Fly a short path with the payload and practice your release over a practice spot. Engineers iterate — expect to adjust your carrier two or three times. That is the job.

⚠️ Flight zone rules
Keep hands and hanging carriers away from the spinning props. One drone flies at a time. Spotter watches. When you hear "PROPS DOWN," everyone lands.
4
🎯 The Delivery Run

Time to deliver. Fly from the launch point to the target zone, release your payload on target, and bring your drone home safely.

Score your delivery
🎯 Accuracy: how close to the target did it land?   🍬 Intact: did the candy survive the trip?   ✨ Style: smooth flight and a clean release. Use your Module 4 landing pad as the target if you have one!
★
📺 Share Your Delivery

Post a photo of your carrier or a video of your delivery run to The Wall. Put your team name in the Subject line and tell us your release trick.

Padlet QR code

Career Connection

Payload delivery is one of the fastest-growing parts of the drone industry. Zipline drops blood and vaccines to hospitals, and companies like Wing and Amazon Prime Air are building package delivery. The exact problem you just solved — how to carry weight, stay balanced, and release on target — is real mechanical and aerospace engineering. Engineering and logistics programs at community colleges and at UC Merced build these careers for first-generation students.

Delivery Complete

You engineered a carrier, balanced a payload, and delivered it on target — solving the same problems as real delivery-drone engineers. Sweet success. Enjoy the candy, pilot. 🍬

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