Blogs

We are making quick progress on design, feature, and purpose ideas for our new autonomous concept aircraft. After sketching 4 possible models of planes that we could build, we have decided on one design that we are currently building out of insulation foam. After testing this much simplified version of our plane, we will propose changes that should be made to the design which should improve our final product.

The design we selected for our concept plane (picture of the sketch is attached, and more to come) can be described as a blended wing body aircraft. The plane has a wide front that narrows towards the back and looks similar to a raindrop shape. We will use one vertical stabilizer, 2 winglets (one for each wing), and one propeller for the rear of the aircraft. To add increased stability to our aircraft, we hope to include canards at the front of our fuselage; they may have to be removed if they don't seem to aid in the stabilization of the plane. 

We are designing this specific plane to fly autonomously utilizing the ArduPilot Mega. With this feature, our concept plane could have practical, everyday applications. If real, our plane would come in many variations: an autonomous multi-personed taxi for short flights, an autonomous cargo deliverer, or an autonomous sight seeing vehicle. Although our model can not have any solar panels on it due to material limitations, this option would be kept available for any companies interested in utilizing the new plane. We hope that our design incorporate fuel efficiency so the jet is more appealing and reputable to aircraft companies. 

The DIYDrone Blimpduino's have been MIA for some time. A new version is promised so it will be interesting to see what those guys come up with next.   In the meantime some buddies and I have been building up our own arduino based  blimp drone. 

We are a group of 5 students attending the New Jersey Governor's School of Engineering and Technology. The Governor's School is a prestigious program at Rutgers University offered to students the summer before their senior year exposing them to many different applications and varieties of engineering. Students are nominated by their schools to apply for the competitive program, which is provided at no cost to them due to funding from multiple companies, Rutgers University, and the NJ State Government. This year there are 88 students attending this program. For more information on the New Jersey Governor's School of Engineering and Technology, please refer to the following link: http://soe.rutgers.edu/gset.

Based on interests, students are broken into independent research groups which address modern engineering issues. The 5 of us were grouped based on our mutual interest in aerospace engineering. The title of our project is: "Winging it: the Plane of the Future". During the course of the 4 week program, we will design, prototype, and build a radical modern airplane that incorporates an autopilot feature. We will utilize ArduPilot Mega to aid us in our autonomous flight goals and can't wait to start!

The distributors finally got in some of the new ST Micro STM32F2 series uControllers and I grabbed a few.  I was able to "shoehorn" one into a ver5 board as the pinout is close to compatible with the performance STM32F1 series.  Spent a few days rewriting the device drivers and am very impressed with this controller's performance.

I was able to bump up the sample rate to around 276.8KHz for all 12 sensors for a total of ~3.32 million samples per second.  Despite this more than doubling of work load, I ended up with around 70% idle time, up from 60% of the STM32F1.  Keep in mind that at a 120MHz clock rate, this 70% free cycles represents more than twice as much free number crunching capability than the STM32F1 at 60% idle.  I also found that the DMA to be much better with full FIFO available on each DMA channel and an easier to use triple ADC.

The result is a much cleaner interpretation of the sensor data which translates to a smoother and more stable platform.

MatrixPilot 3.1 is released. The project continues to mature, with a fantastic IMU that is still moving ahead with deep research from William Premerlani. Ben Levitt continues to add amazing features such as the built-in firmware for the OSD hardware that can be attached to the UDB3. This means the UDB3 can display it's internal thinking (such as next target waypoint, direction of next target, and maximim G-force being pulled) onto the video screen of the pilot.

Anyway here is a quick summary of the latest changes ...

What's New in MatrixPilot 3.1

• Major IMU improvements, including "dizzy-proofing", automatic inflight gyro calibration, and compensation for magnetometer latency.
• Live camera tracking of one UDB from another.
• User-configurable OSD layouts.
• Full support for the DIYDrones MediaTek GPS.
• Maintain minimum ground speed. The speed control loop is now based on the smaller of ground speed and air speed.
• Improvements to inverted stabilization.
• Improvements to the Flight Analyzer tool.
• More bug fixes.

There is a lot of talent and development occuring around MatrixPilot at the moment, and I look forward to working with all the newer developers to integrate their new features into MP over the next few months. Thanks everyone.

Best wishes, Pete

I found this picture of a quite unusual quad. This model has no counter rotating props, it uses some kind of servo controlled levelers on two sides of the booms. Never seen this before!

This heavy weight quad doesn't come cheap, prices starting at 29.542,90 EUR excl. Tax and camera mount.

...well, in my dreams and in X-plane only so far.

It's been quite interesting trying to get a flying wing to fly at such high altitudes.  There are all manner of complicated instabilities to overcome.  So far, the biggest improvement was adding a motor and propellor, not as any form of thrust device, but as a gyroscopic stabiliser!

Making the elevons operate only in the outer third or quarter of the span was also another leap forward in stability.  The image above is just a flying .STL file and hidden behind that is a rather crude series of aerofoils to simulate the aerodynamics of the thing.

The APM can control it sometimes very well at altitude with it being nice and stable, but other times it seems to always go into some form of unrecoverable spin.  I haven't figured it all out yet, but I will be doing so a fair bit more before committing to the foam.   Operation at <400' (yeah, right!) is nigh on perfect in all but my most ham-fisted efforts!

One of the cool features of the Mission Planner is that you can load and save configuration files. So you can not only have different files for different aircraft, but also share them with others.

This is particularly handy for common airframes. Once someone has tuned one well, they can upload their configuration file and save others the trouble of having to go through the same process.

I've now created a place in the APM and ArduCopter wikis that you can use to share configuration files. Please post your files in the comments here and I'll upload them to the relevant wikis as they come in.

The APM Configuration File Repository is here.

The AC2 Configuration File Repository is here.

*** Note, 2.0.26, and 2.0.27 had a flaw that switched Alt_hold and Simple mode. Don't fly it. This is fixed in 2.0.28. ***

I built my own quad from scratch using an alu frame and decided to control it using the ardupilot mega that I have lying around. I loaded the arducopter NG2 code on this and took it for a couple of flights, noting its behavior and how it felt like controlling it. My intentions are to make this a platform that is really easy to control from first person video too, as well as 3rd person "in the field" of course.

Although the AC code is already more than suitable for video flying, I conspired with my colleagues. They gave me some tips and the result is the most boring quadcopter ever :)

The video above shows some progress in that direction.

To describe the changes:  I prepended a 'velocity' controller before the orientation controller that was already there. The arducopter measures the angles of orientation and continuously updates motor speeds to ensure it maintains some desired angle, set by the sticks. So in this case, I don't control the angles directly, but I control the velocity projected onto the xy plane that I want this quad to have. Altitude is still managed manually.

The GPS controller in turn is now attached to the velocity controller. So any offset in the position results in some desired velocity towards the waypoint. The quad starts to accelerate by outputting some angle, maintains the velocity towards the waypoint and as it approaches, starts slowing down such that when position == waypoint, speed == 0 too. Using angular control only this is much more difficult, because you have to play around with aggressive D-gain settings to get the quad to stop closer to the waypoint.

The quality of your experience using the velocity controller is dependent on the quality of the GPS (doppler effect speed readings?), the quality of the GPS signal that you are receiving, the quality of a magnetic compass, the frequency of the GPS output (5Hz is a bit low) and of course as usual the PID settings. So quite a number of factors there.

I use a switch on the tx to control the mode I want to fly in, or switch back when it behaves erratically, indicating some possible problem with GPS reception or compass readings.

These are pics of our team learning to fly FPV, playing with ardupilot....

ArduPilot autopilot.

ArduIMU

Ardushield.

HappyKillmore GCS.

Xbee Telemetry. 900 mHz

RangeVideo TX and RX 1,3 Ghz

Homemade Pan tilt camera.

0.40 glow O.S. fp engine

Big nitro tank to fly 50 minutes.....

2.4 Ghz 1 watt amplifier.

Futaba 9z radio TX

Assan 2.4 TX and RX modules.

RangeVideo V dipole antenna.

  Awww yes finally time to do some PID tuning.  After my last field test it was clear I needed to replace my motors with better quality ones and do some more PID tuning.  After making a few mods to the airframe for added support and installing the new Jdrones Purple 2830 /12, 850kv motors with 10x4.7 props it was time to start testing again.  In the first part of the video the quadcopter wobble front to back ( I was making it do this with the elevator stick) then get stuck at 45 degree, this is when I chopped the trottle and have a rough landing.   This was from setting the D to low .09 is way to low.  The last hover is with the PID settings below.

     So far my best luck has been with this setting. But, I still think there is room for improvement.

The Yaw is stable, but not very responsive to what tell it to do.

 Roll & Pitch   P =( .3)        I = (.024)        D = (.13)   Yaw  P=(.505) I=(.007) D=(.085)

From IEEE Spectrum:

In a visit today to Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center, Obama launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a national effort to bring together industry, universities, and government to invest in emerging technologies that can improve manufacturing and create new businesses and jobs.

Robots are a big part of this effort. The administration's new National Robotics Initiative seeks to advance "next generation robotics." The focus is on robots that can work closely with humans—helping factory workers, healthcare providers, soldiers, surgeons, and astronauts to carry out tasks.

"You might not know this but one of my responsibilities as commander-in-chief is to keep an eye on robots," Obama quipped at the beginning of his speech. "And I'm pleased to report that the robots you manufacture here seem peaceful. At least for now."

The National Robotics Initiative is described here:

 

The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively with, people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots acting in direct support of and in a symbiotic relationship with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The purpose of this program is the development of this next generation of robotics, to advance the capability and usability of such systems and artifacts, and to encourage existing and new communities to focus on innovative application areas. It will address the entire life cycle from fundamental research and development to industry  manufacturing and deployment.  Methods for the establishment and infusion of robotics in educational curricula and research to gain a better understanding of the long term social, behavioral and economic implications of co-robots across all areas of human activity are important parts of this initiative.  Collaboration between academic, industry, non-profit and other organizations is strongly encouraged to establish better linkages between fundamental science and technology development, deployment and use.

Two classes of proposals will be considered in response to this solicitation:

1. Small projects: One or more investigators spanning 1 to 5 years.
2. Large projects: Multi-disciplinary teams spanning 1 to 5 years.

I just got the new Hobbyking Bixler, their newest EasyStar clone, and I'm very impressed. I haven't flown it yet, but based on the design I think it's the best Easystar clone out there yet. (And I've tested them ALL!)

It's available as a kit, a RTF with a 4 channel radio, and an ARF without radio. I recommend the ARF version, which is just $52 (or,if you live in the US, it's available for $58 in the US warehouse with much cheaper and faster shipping). Add a 20a ESC, battery and 7ch radio and APM and you've got a UAV for under $500.

Some of the advantages of the Bixler, compared to the EasyStar and the other clones:

• Ailerons
• Big cockpit area, with tail servos on the outside
• Decent brushless motor
• Available in ARF form with servos installed but not a useless radio that you have to throw away
• Inexpensive

Here are some shots of the Bixler fuselage compared to a standard EasyStar:

Bixler on left, beat-up EasyStar on right. It's a clone all right!

Closeups of the cockpits--Bixler on left, EasyStar on right. The Bixler is a bit wider!

"Drones are Ready for Takeoff" from the June issue of Smithsonian. Many of the usual suspects and a good bit of journalistic naivete, but worth reading. It focuses on Aerovel Corp, a small company in Washington State founded by some folks who helped develop the Scaneagle (picture above of their Flexrotor UAV). Exerpt:

 

Until now, drone aircraft have been confined largely to war zones—most recently in Libya—and they have become controversial for killing civilians along with insurgents. But critics and boosters alike say unmanned aircraft will increasingly be used for peacetime work. They disagree about the likely scale of the industry, but the Federal Aviation Administration is already considering new rules and training staffers to adjust to unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” says Peter Singer, an analyst with the Brookings Institution. “Is it going to be 2012 or 2014? The point is, it’s going to happen.”

 Managed to get extremely tight XY position hold, with manual collective, no wind, & no attitude sensing.  There is a settling period, which is nowhere near stable enough to fly in the apartment.  The main requirement was large integrals.  The plot of the flight recording clearly shows where the camera was & how it detects sideways position much better than depth.

Visual attitude detection would need a tricolor LED & a lot of error correction.  The relative height of each color would determine attitude.  It probably wouldn't be fast enough to make a difference.

Altitude hold really needs a way to produce constant RPM for all cyclic.  Marcy 1 was making progress on altitude hold, when the cops showed up, hit us with the night sun, & ended 5 years of care free flying on the test range.

It takes thick skin to play this game.  Economies crumble.  Real estate loses value.  The wealth & status that bonds marriages is at the mercy of a few leaders.  Sitting still will never do.  Even sitting still, you need to fight for every minute you're alive, because as long as you're alive, you always have something someone else wants.

Somewhere, a bank is debating why someone should have a reduced mortgage principal, because one night, when his finances were keeping him up, he happened to notice some distracting UAV, 300 ft away, proof that the neighborhood was going to hell.

After 2 years of studdering progress, due to weather, we're at the point where 1 month in an indoor flying area would probably get the job done.

Hi all,

we have shuffled together a few IR photos, extracted 3D model with PhotoSynth, meshed, textured, projected and other stupid things.

Now could somebody tell me if it serves any purpose because I got creativity crisis.

This is a scaled model for Eole, a french project under CNES on developing an unmanned aerial platform for launching rockets. This scaled model (1/2.2) is evaluating the flight dynamics and by next year rocket launches will take place in a specialized facility by the full version. It will be fully autonomous apart from the take-off and landing and it will operate within a 30km range. It looks like Scaled Composites White Knight 1 but it is much smaller.

More info :

project website (in French): Présentation EOLE

Eole aerial launch platform - CNES, Perseus