The Hardware

Types of flying machines

1. Multi-copters

Types of flying machines

1. Multi-copters 
2. Fixed Wings

Types of flying machines

1. Multi-copters
2. Fixed Wing
3. Tiltrotors 

Companion Computers

• Odroid (muscular)
• Raspberry Pi (popular)

Flight Controllers

• Pixhawk (3D Robotics, et.)
• Naza, Wookong (DJI)

Flight Controllers ++

• PixHawk Fire Cape for the BeagleBone Black
• Navio Shield for the Raspberry Pi
• Intel Edison

Most of the above are Open Source

(which is good)

The Software

ArduPilot Project

#Linux
#opensource
biggest #community

It works for : 

• Multicopters and fixed wings
• Rovers (like Wall E !)
• Work-in-progress (tilt rotors, submarines) 

So much so

that one guy actually put it on a tractor and it worked !

MAVLink

notice the blue lightsaber

MAVProxy

notice the blue lightsaber getting bigger

MAVProxy

• It is a command-line, console based app. There are plugins included in MAVProxy to provide a basic GUI.
• Can be networked and run over any number of computers.
• It's portable; it should run on any POSIX OS with python, pyserial, and select() function calls, which means Linux, OS X, Windows, and others.
• The light-weight design means it can run on small netbooks with ease.
• It supports loadable modules, and has modules to support console/s, moving maps, joysticks, antenna trackers, etc.

source

SITL

software in the loop

source

SITL

Allows you to test and build code without the hardware

Allows you to fly a virtual machine !

main.c: In function ‘main’:
main.c:1:1: warning: bad pun

Demo

Using vagrant to run ArduPilot 

Enter Python

DroneKit

• Python bindings for the Drone API
• Examples to get started
• Meant to be run from a companion computer
  (or the same flight controller if it's powerful enough)

Demo

Take off

Demo

Simple flight

Demo

Control in real time

Demo

Replay missions