I've got a soft spot in my heart for blimps, which I think are the ideal aerial robotics learning platform for kids. Our original Blimpduino was long ago retired, but we're working on a new version that will use optical flow and advanced image processing for autonomous navigation (look for this in early 2013).
In the meantime, here's an interesting project for an Arduino-controlled RC blimp with many 3D-printable parts. Still in development, but the prototype scoots!
The blimp was always the ideal project for 3D absolute sonar positioning & "advanced image processing" still seems to be vapor, but in a buzzword driven market where the buzzword is optical flow, you don't have a choice about what to pursue.
That's cool for it to come back in a new version. I think it took 15 months for mine to finally leak nearly all its helium. Ah... Blimpduino-still sitting in the corner of my office.
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The blimp was always the ideal project for 3D absolute sonar positioning & "advanced image processing" still seems to be vapor, but in a buzzword driven market where the buzzword is optical flow, you don't have a choice about what to pursue.