Precision Quadrotor Flying

[Ian Curtis]

Intense Quadrotor Maneuvers

I'm not much of a software guy, but the dabbling I've done tells me that this must be pretty tough to do. Super neat though! I think they could write a *great* autonomous routine!

[davidthefat]

I don't understand if the logic is done onboard the heli or with an outside source telling it what to do, like a PC using the cameras to track it with super complex algorithms and stuff and telling it where to go

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

I don't understand if the logic is done onboard the heli or with an outside source telling it what to do, like a PC using the cameras to track it with super complex algorithms and stuff and telling it where to go

According to the text screens and audio, it is autonomous. To me that says it is done on-board.

I must admit, regardless of how it was done, it is impressive!

Originally Posted by billbo911

According to the text screens and audio, it is autonomous. To me that says it is done on-board.

I must admit, regardless of how it was done, it is impressive!

Autonomy can be done with off-board computing. A good example of this is the Player/Stage system for robot mapping and group algorithm work. It allows a "server" to do the bulk of the computations, and send commands to a group of bots. What's nice about a system like this is the robots can focus on the details of moving and avoiding obstacles, while the "server" can handle the mapping and localizing of the individual robots. It's quite a nice system, but it looks like ROS is going to upseat it sometime soon...
</geeking>

Very cool video.

[EricVanWyk]

Originally Posted by billbo911

According to the text screens and audio, it is autonomous. To me that says it is done on-board.

I must admit, regardless of how it was done, it is impressive!

I couldn't make it out exactly, but I think it said it "uses a 20 camera Vicon(??) system and an on board IMU for state estimation". I'd interpret that as the 20 cameras are processed off board, and the IMU is processed on board.

Can anyone with better ears make it out better?

Really really really cool!

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by EricVanWyk

I couldn't make it out exactly, but I think it said it "uses a 20 camera Vicon(??) system and an on board IMU for state estimation". I'd interpret that as the 20 cameras are processed off board, and the IMU is processed on board.

Can anyone with better ears make it out better?

Really really really cool!

You are correct, that is what is said. In fact, if you look in the background, you can see cameras mounted all around the netting. So, my assumption was incorrect.
On closer inspection, you can also see multiple spheres mounted on the Quadrotor. One on each arm and a couple more on top.
This system reminds me a lot of the Motion Capture system used at my son's Digital Art School. That system uses IR camera's surrounding a stage. The actors wear suits with very similar looking IR reflective spheres attached at various locations around the body.

(BTW, my son got his start in 3D animation as a direct result of his participation in FIRST)

[gblake]

I wasn't sure if I was impressed much by seeing a succesion of video clips of the successful attempts to have a quadrotor fling itself through targets by executing what seemed to be canned maneuvers that needed a specific starting point. (How's that for a run-on sentence? best you have seen today?? )

But....

For a completely different sort of quadrotor precision guidance that uses human wetware instead of silicon hardware, I know I enjoy what I see in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3KrFV0-WFw

Blake

[EricVanWyk]

Originally Posted by gblake

I wasn't sure if I was impressed much by seeing a succesion of video clips of the successful attempts to have a quadrotor fling itself through targets by executing what seemed to be canned maneuvers that needed a specific starting point. (How's that for a run-on sentence? bes you have seen today?? )

But....

For a completely different sort of quadrotor precision guidance that uses human wetware instead of silicon hardware, I know I enjoy what I see in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3KrFV0-WFw

Blake

In case anyone is wondering, my birthday is Feb 21 and I would accept this as a gift.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by EricVanWyk

In case anyone is wondering, my birthday is Feb 21 and I would accept this as a gift.

In case anyone is thinking about taking Eric up on his offer to accept one, my birthday is also Feb 21 and I saw it first.