Design and Development of a Pixhawk-Based Autonomous Hexacopter for Payload Lifting and GPS-Guided Smart Delivery

Abstract

The rapid growth of e-commerce and smart logistics has intensified the need for reliable autonomous aerial delivery systems. This paper presents the design and development of a hexacopter-based weight-lifting drone intended for short- to medium-range parcel transportation. The proposed system integrates a Pixhawk open-source flight controller with an F450 hexacopter frame and is powered by a 4200 mAh Li-Po battery. An M8N GPS module ensures accurate positioning and waypoint-based navigation, while a T12 transmitter enables manual override and hybrid control operation. Compared to quadcopters, the hexacopter configuration provides enhanced payload capacity, redundancy, and flight stability, making it suitable for logistics applications. Autonomous functionalities such as waypoint navigation, return-to-home (RTH), and failsafe mechanisms improve operational reliability. The prototype demonstrates the feasibility of UAV-based lightweight parcel delivery and highlights the integration of robust hardware, intelligent flight control, and GPS-guided automation. The proposed system contributes toward next-generation smart delivery solutions aimed at minimizing human intervention, reducing delivery time, and improving accessibility in remote or infrastructure-limited regions.