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APM-based 'Burrito Bomber"

Posted by Chris Anderson on December 8, 2012 at 4:00pm

3689490662?profile=originalFrom Darwin Aerospace, the "Burrito Bomber"

Earlier this year, the world was brought to its knees when it was cruelly teased with the promise of tasty Mexican treats being delivered via quadcopter. We believe everyone deserves carne asada when they want it and so today, we make that dream a reality. We’re proud to introduce: Burrito Bomber -- truly the world's first airborne mexican food delivery system.

It works like this:

  1. You connect to the Burrito Bomber web-app and order a burrito. Your smartphone sends your current location to our server, which generates a waypoint file compatible with the drone's autopilot.
  2. We upload the waypoint file to the drone and load your burrito in to our custom made Burrito Delivery Tube.
  3. The drone flies to your location and releases the Burrito Delivery Tube. The burrito parachutes down to you, the drone flies itself home, and you enjoy your carne asada.

We built Burrito Bomber using a handful of open source projects and some new bits we created ourselves. All the code and 3D models we created for Burrito Bomber are on our GitHub page so you can build one too!

The airframe is a SkyWalker X8 Flying Wing. The plane uses Ardupilot to navigate the skies. The Burrito release mechanism is the combination of a Quantum RTR Bomb System, a 3" diameter mailing tube, and some 3D printed parts we designed in-house. The plane is controllable either manually via live video transmitted from the plane or autonomously using the Ardupilot autopilot. We use a Futaba 9C controller and EzUHF transmitter to manually control the plane. Check out the parts list for further details.

The web app is built in Flask. It gets the user's location via the HTML5 Geolocation API, generates a Mission Planner compatible waypoint file, then sends that to the drone operator. The drone operator uploads the waypoint file to the plane.

Unfortunately, Burrito Bomber as a commercial product is not yet allowed under current FAA guidelines. However, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 requires the FAA to hammer out regulations for commercial use drones by September 2015. This means in 2015 we'll be able to take to the skies to bring you your burrito faster than you can say "¡Salsa roja por favor!".

(via Gizmodo. Thanks for the tip, Jason!)

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Comments

  • Gary McCray December 14, 2012 at 5:20pm

    Of course, we all know this is a joke, any setient being would know it's a joke, thats why the FAA's view of it worries me.

    BTW Oliver that Kickstarter project is excellent using pulsed field reversing permanent magnets for a near zero energy grab and release magnetic grapple system. I do wonder if field strength is maintained over many uses.

  • Jethro Hazelhurst December 12, 2012 at 9:02am

    I don't know if 'bomber' be it burritos or anything is going to be good advertising to the FAA.

  • Anderl December 11, 2012 at 3:44am

    I think the Italian section (read the tester number one Marco) may be envious!. Will we get to see the Pizza & PinotGrigio Bomber? :-)

  • Marty LaBelle December 9, 2012 at 8:34pm

    Oh joy... by 2015 we should only be about a decade behind the rest of the world. FAA, ensuring America brings up the rear in Unmanned Aerial Systems.

  • Oliver Sumpton December 9, 2012 at 6:37pm

    Man this is fantastic.

    Also, reminded me to get in on the OpenGrap Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/412473553/opengrab-open-hardwar...

  • Alex Hills December 9, 2012 at 6:20pm

    Burrito's can be dangerous!

    http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/armed-deadly-burrito

    Armed With A Deadly Burrito
    OCTOBER 14--A South Carolina teenager is facing a felony charge for throwing a "deadly missile" at a moving vehicle. The armament in question was a b…
  • mquintilian December 9, 2012 at 10:03am

    @Philippe Petit 

    It looks like there just generating a way point file  and triggering a servo when it reaches that way point like you would when you're using a camera

  • Josh Potter December 9, 2012 at 7:06am

    "man killed by burrito delivery mechanism"

    That made me laugh.

    There are a lot of scary uses for this technology, along with the good.  I've always thought you could do some really neat things with our current tech with rockets.  The difference is, I would want to build a guided missile for the sake of doing it, not to make a weapon.

  • Chris Foote December 9, 2012 at 4:29am

    I saw a documentary that showed regualar rc plance delivering drugs from mexico to the u.s.  There was a pilot in mexico and one in the u.s.  the drugs were dropped in a different place than where the plane landed.  I would be surprised if drones aren't already being used on a large scale.  Calling them terrorists is a little extreme though.  There is no doubt that drones will be used for terrorism though.  The fact that they haven't yet makes me feel good that there really aren't that many terrorists.

  • Gamani December 9, 2012 at 4:26am

    @Vince, like it's already the case for Airsoft hobby!

This reply was deleted.