MEng students Abdulhaq Shodipe, Szymon Lesniakowski, and Sarah Mbayi successfully presented their research paper, “Analysis of a Low Reynolds Number Rotor Acting as a Thruster and an Energy Harvester in Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Conditions”, at the 16th IEEE ICMAE Conference held in Rome from 15th to 18th July.

The presentation focused on a novel dual-purpose rotor design inspired by NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity. The project explored the feasibility of using a single rotor system for both thrust generation and wind energy harvesting, particularly in low Reynolds number environments such as those found on Mars. The students employed a combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), reduced-order modelling, and experimental testing in a pressurised chamber to simulate extraterrestrial conditions.

Their findings demonstrated that the rotor could effectively switch between propulsion and energy harvesting modes, offering potential applications for future space missions and small-scale terrestrial systems. The study also highlighted the impact of chamber confinement on rotor performance and the potential benefits of surface roughness in enhancing thrust and power loading.

The presentation was met with strong interest and engagement from an audience of scientists and engineers representing various universities and institutions. It also contributed to the conference organisers’ interest in hosting the event in London and at Queen Mary University of London next year.

The peer-reviewed paper, also authored by the MEng student Mohammed Shariffe and academic supervisors Dr Fariborz Motallebi and Dr Eldad Avital, will be published in the conference proceedings. This project was supported by the British Council.