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ArduCopter beta flying!

Posted by Chris Anderson on June 26, 2010 at 5:30am

Here's one of the first test flights of the ArduCopter quadcopter setup, from team leader Ted Carancho. Try doing that with a Parrot AR.Drone!

This is using the ArduPilotMega hardware (APM board and IMU shield) on the original AeroQuad platform. The ArduCopter platform is in final design tweaks before it goes into production. The merger of the AeroQuad and ArduPilot Mega software is going well and a public beta is probably a few weeks away.

Great job, Ted!

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Comments

Michael Vowles July 21, 2010 at 7:42am

Brilliant job!! Definitely looking forward to the code release.
Yun Youngjun June 29, 2010 at 5:57pm

It's cool!
I'll try ASAP

Yun
Bob Hvarven June 28, 2010 at 7:04am

Do you think that a place with MORE obsticals could be found for the flight? I have flown in areas where there was only one small tree, and crashed into it several times in one afternoon. I'm surprised the person flying the copter didn't go blind or have all his hair fallout..... :) Really neat flight though.
Ted Carancho June 27, 2010 at 9:21pm

@TCIII, using a beta AeroQuad frame cut from polycarbonate. X and + mode fly the same for me. I made it X mode, so I can mount a camera in-between arms when I get to that point.

@Taylor, the AeroQuad will share it's acro mode with ArduCopter which will enable flips. Here's a test video, still working on getting tighter flips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1OK5jn7eno
Alex June 27, 2010 at 5:43pm

Cool! I can't wait to get my hands on the final version!

My question is kinda a safety one. As a university-endorsed researcher, my team is subjected to an (incredibly long) list of safety checklists and requirements. I'm curious to what safety procedures you use for flying near high-power lines.

Also: Props for doing (even unintentional) EMI testing. As an EE working with lots of Aero Engr's, its good to see someone accounting for possible electrical failures.
Xander June 26, 2010 at 8:12pm

Thanks Chris. Good to know. I'm a bit surprised the AR.Drone can't handle the outdoors better. With gyros plus optical flow running on an ARM9 it should be pretty capable. Hmm, unless the response time of the actual motors isnt great.

Taylor, pretty sure you wont see any quads flying upside down. Typically the motors can't be reversed in flight, so with fixed pitch they're always pulling in one direction. Flips are possible, and i suppose you could fly at the ground, but there's really no way to stay upside down for long.
Earl June 26, 2010 at 7:58pm

I have lots of room to hide them !
Earl
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Morli June 26, 2010 at 7:53pm

John, You can always hide all this under a opaque canopy. Most of the cables on this quad are necessary evil :))
Jhon June 26, 2010 at 7:23pm

w0w there are a lot of cables involved in this beta,
final one will be more clean?
Admin

Morli June 26, 2010 at 5:51pm

I call this "Tested on/by fire" !! you couldn't have chosen any better/more EMI saturated field :)) . Enchanting to watch. good work, keep it up