Horizons 109 - Drone software, Swiss made

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How does it work?

Drone software, Swiss made The PX4 operating system has been widely adopted by open source-based drones. Next step: incorporating vision. Journalist: Daniel Saraga Infografic: ikonaut

The brain Developed at ETH Zurich, the open-source platform PX4 works like the operating system of a smartphone. It controls the propellers, feeds off information from the sensors and allows for the integration of additional m ­ odules. An ­autopilot enables the drone to reach a destination automatically or hover steadily on the spot.

The ears A drone uses a variety of devices to ­calculate its position and direction. The GPS gets signals from satellites; they are robust but not very precise or fast. The inertial sensors measure the accumulated movements after take-off. Laser or ultrasound altimeters give the elevation. In special indoor settings, fixed external infrared cameras triangulate the position of markers on the drone.

The limbs Apps can also be added – third-party software designed for a specific task. A ‘follow-me’ app developed in Latvia instructs the drone to hover at a certain distance above a GPS receiver worn by the user. This service was offered to skiers in Swiss resorts last winter. Other researchers have used PX4 to control juggling drones or vertical ­landing planes.

The eyes Computer vision is not yet widely used on commercial drones. Aerial robots from labs at ETH Zurich were the first to fly using on-board cameras only. They can reconstruct the shape and ­dimensions of objects. “Vision allows the drone to recognise obstacles and avoid them. It’s necessary for safety”, says Lorenz Meier, a PhD student and the author of the PX4 operating system. “We will incorporate computer vision in 2016 by default in PX4-­ driven drones”. He has also developed Pixhawk, a hardware autopilot ­running PX4.

Swiss National Science Foundation – Swiss Academies: Horizons No. 109

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