Project Description

Project Title: Smart Drone

Group Members: John San Juan, Bryce Hoecker

Objective: The objective of this project is to understand and recreate consumer drones and replicate their basic functionalities such as the ability to take off, land, hover, navigate, and project a live feed of the drone’s perspective.

Theory of Operation:

The drone should be able to take off and land using the radio transmitter as well as the ability to hover by utilizing the built in gyroscope of the Beaglebone Blue. The drone should also be able to pitch forward and backward as well as roll and yaw left and right using the radio transmitter. Lastly, it should have the ability to show a real-time view of the drone’s perspective via the live feed wirelessly.

Development:

• Setting up Beaglebone as Flight Unit

• Install Debian 9.12 “Bone”
• Prepare environment for Ardupilot Autopilot Stack Application (Essential dependency package for Arducopter)

• Compile and Install
• Install Arducopter (Drone specific control mapping package)
• Tweak and setup control mapping

• Setting up Beaglebone for live feed

• Install Debian 10 “Buster” LXQT (GUI)
• Install and update essential packages
• Expand storage partition using gparted to have enough space for packages needed
• Compile and Install OpenCV (Library of programming functions for real-time vision)

• Use Derek Molloy’s programs to setup webcam functionalities written in C

• Compile and Install MJPG Streamer to access live feed locally

• Building The Drone

• Install  brushless motor, beaglebones, wifi module, gps module, radio receiver, and battery onto the frame

• Test Flight

• Connect Controller to radio receiver
• access live feed on beaglebone via SSH

Bill of Materials (BOM):

**Some materials are already owned

Diagram of wiring setup:

Demo Screenshots: