At this weels Interdrone conference Yuneec and Dronecode announced the new DroneCore SDK, which is now shipping on the new Dronecode-based Yuneec H520 commercial hexacopter. The above slide shows how the architecture works, but basically Dronecore replaces the old DroneKit SDK, and provides an easy-to use mobile (Android and iOS) and onboard (C++ and Python) interface to Dronecode/PX4-based vehicles. Of which there are many!
The library provides a simple core API for managing one or more vehicles, providing programmatic access to vehicle information and telemetry, and control over missions, movement and other operations.
Developers can extend the library using plugins in order to add any other required MAVLink API (for example, to integrate PX4 with custom cameras, gimbals, or other hardware over MAVLink).
DroneCore can run on a vehicle-based companion computer or on a ground-based GCS or mobile device. These devices have significantly more processing power that an ordinary flight controller, enabling tasks like computer vision, obstacle avoidance, and route planning.
The full reference is here.
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@Alexis - again, I only see references to iOS and Android.
https://github.com/YUNEEC/Yuneec-SDK
Juliannes is one of the collaborators to Yuneec SDK and the main collaborator for DroneCore.
@Alexis Can you point me to information about how to tab to MavLink on board on the H520?
This is all open source on Github and you have direct access to MavLink by making your modules.
The expanded version is Dronecore. Next Yuneec vehicles will support it all.
Looking at Yuneec's SDK website, it rather looks like a DJI approach: SDK for Android and iOS but nothing about direct MAVLink access or how to get the MAVLink and video streams out of the device to some companion computer. Disappointed :-(
As it is an offboard computer connected to the UAV, that's perfect. No latency, no jitter.
Yet, the "master", controlling the overall mission (fleet management) is connected over WiFi to the offboard computers. That's the current bottleneck; with jitter. But that's manageable by putting as much intelligence as possible at the edge.
That's interesting, and it's better than dronekit for latency/jitter?
I am using mavros for real-time offboard control.
That would be great, latency/jitter in dronekit is really bad. Looking forward to ardupilot support :)