Our subteams

Five subteams.
One aircraft.

From the structure that carries the payload to the software that helps it navigate, every part of HEART is a student effort. Explore the five subteams that design, build, integrate, and test our electric VTOL aircraft.

01 / Structure & manufacturing

Airframe

Turn a vehicle concept into hardware.

Airframe designs the structure that holds HEART together: the central frame, rotor arms, landing gear, and payload supports. Members balance strength, weight, and manufacturability, then carry their designs from CAD and structural analysis into the shop.

Model components and check flight and landing loads using finite-element analysis.
Develop machining, drilling, bonding, and composite layup processes.
Assemble the airframe and coordinate space and mounting points for the other subteams.

Skills & tools SOLIDWORKS, FEMAP/NASTRAN, Ansys, MATLAB, composite manufacturing

CAD renders of the full-scale HEART aircraft and two smaller prototypes — From scale prototypes to the full-scale HEART structure.

Finite-element analysis of central plate deflection, arm-tube deflection and failure index, and arm-mount stress — Structural analysis of the central plate, rotor arms, and arm mounts.

02 / Propulsion & energy

Powertrain

Deliver the power to lift the mission.

Powertrain connects aircraft performance to the motors, propellers, and batteries that make flight possible. The subteam sizes the propulsion system for payload and endurance, develops battery monitoring hardware, and brings the complete electrical system through ground testing and integration.

Compare motor and propeller combinations against thrust, power, and endurance requirements.
Design battery-management electronics and wiring to monitor voltage, current, and temperature.
Bench-test components and validate the complete propulsion and battery system before flight.

Skills & tools Aircraft sizing, PCB design, embedded programming, electrical integration, test-data analysis

Aircraft sizing flowchart comparing battery and propulsion configurations, payload, power requirements, and takeoff weight — Sizing the propulsion and battery system around payload and flight requirements.

A power distribution board with attached wiring held in place on an electronics workbench — Power distribution hardware on the electronics bench.

03 / Sensors & flight hardware

Avionics

Give the aircraft a reliable picture of its flight.

Avionics integrates the flight controller, navigation sensors, communications, and onboard computing. Members work on the hardware and wiring that connect these systems, then use bench tests and flight logs to understand how they behave on the real aircraft.

Integrate the flight controller with GNSS, optical-flow, range, and camera sensors.
Design sensor mounts, vibration isolation, shielding, and wiring for dependable measurements.
Evaluate telemetry and sensor data, and test redundant sensing and fallback behavior.

Skills & tools Flight-controller integration, sensor calibration, telemetry, wiring, flight-log analysis

System diagram connecting navigation sensors, communications, flight control, onboard computing, and propulsion power — How the aircraft's electronic systems connect.

A VFS prototype with its onboard electronics and sensors installed before an indoor flight test — Flight hardware integrated on the prototype ahead of indoor testing.

04 / Autonomy & simulation

Software

Help HEART understand and navigate its surroundings.

Software develops the perception, mapping, and autonomy tools that support the aircraft's missions. Members turn sensor data into useful information for the flight controller and test ideas in a digital twin before taking them to a physical prototype.

Process stereo-camera and LiDAR data for obstacle detection and avoidance.
Explore pose estimation, mapping, and positioning when GPS is unavailable.
Build and test simulated missions in NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and compare results with flight data.

Skills & tools Python, ROS 2, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, MAVLink, Git, data analysis

Robotics development tools showing a simulated multirotor and its coordinate frames — Developing the vehicle model and simulation environment.

A 3D point cloud showing filtered sensor points and reported obstacles around the vehicle origin — Turning a 3D point cloud into obstacle information for the aircraft.

05 / Flight testing & readiness

Certification

Build the evidence that supports safe flight.

Certification, formerly Operations, connects engineering work with flight-test planning and the path toward operating the full-scale vehicle. Members document performance, organize prototype testing, and work with the other subteams to track reliability, redundancy, and operating requirements.

Develop test plans and procedures, and document vehicle performance.
Use prototypes to evaluate technologies before full-scale integration.
Research the certification pathway and airspace requirements, and organize evidence for design and flight-readiness reviews.

Skills & tools Systems engineering, technical documentation, test planning, requirements tracking, flight operations

VFS members monitoring a prototype flight from a ground station at the test field — Prototype flight testing brings design decisions into the field.

VFS members holding and calibrating a prototype while a teammate checks its laptop connection at the flight field — Preflight checks and calibration before a prototype test.

Leadership

2025–2026 leads

President

Valentino Cattaneo

Chief Engineer

Xuli YouGoes by Henry

Design Lead

Rithik Kurup

Avionics & Operations Lead

Sean Larson

Powertrain Lead

Matthew Lee

Software & Autonomy Lead

Grant Fellows

One team, many majors

Behind the leads is a larger group of students who show up to design meetings, build sessions, and flight tests. Members come from across engineering and beyond, and the team is open to anyone who wants to help build aircraft.

The team is advised by Prof. Thiago Guimarães and Tom Bietsch (AAE Engineer) of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, along with Prof. Woongkul Lee of the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Join the team →