Lighter-Than-Air-Vehicle Design for Adversarial Defense

Abstract

The Defend the Republic (DTR) competition is a biannual collegiate robotics event in which teams design autonomous lighter-than-air vehicles (autonomous blimps) to capture and score helium balloons into opponents’ goals-resembling robotic Quidditch. The competition presents a range of technical challenges, including autonomous operation under strict buoyancy constraints in dynamic, sensor-limited environments. While early team strategies emphasized autonomous scoring, recent developments have introduced adversarial tactics aimed at disrupting opponents. This paper presents the design methodologies and vehicle architectures developed by the Indiana University DTR team for adversarial defense and interference, highlighting three LTA vehicle iterations deployed during the Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Fall 2024 competitions. Each iteration is discussed in terms of design evolution, operational strategy, and competitive performance, concluding with lessons learned and future development directions.