Development process - terrytaylorbonn/auxdrone GitHub Wiki

This page shows how I originally (24 Jan) planned to do things. Based on what I read, I thought that building flying drones was the easy part. So I focused first on simulation and AI (major efforts).

This project defines 6 development stages:

  • Part 1 Total simulation . Simulate everything in sim world (Gazebo) on a Linux PC. Run a sim mission (for example, a sim camera on a sim copter recognizes a sim person and tells the copter to land near the person (search and rescue)).

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    The diagram above also shows

    • GCS. Ground control software (runs on PC) that creates the flight plan that is uploaded to the FC (the copter follows this flight plan unless instructed (for example, by the CC) to do otherwise. Also could include RC.

    • RC. Joystick.

  • Part 2 Real AI HW. Running AI algorithms on the real HW (HW specifies is quite important for AI).

    • A real PI camera sends video to the real Nano.
    • The real Nano (or PI4) performs object recognition.
    • The sim drone (SITL running on Ubuntu PC) sends sim sensor data (UDP) to the mission software program (on the Nano).
    • The mission program running on the Nano sends flight control commands (TCP) to the sim drone. basically you test your AI autonomous program safely on sim drone.

    image

  • Part 3 Real FC (HITL). Adding a real FC (with simulated frame, sensors and world).

    image

  • Part 4 Basic platform build. Test flights and verification of AI/autonomous modes.

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  • Part 5 Mission platform build. STM32 tools, FC firmware dev and APIs, ROS, and wired comms.

  • Part 6 Mission platforms. Building specific mission platforms, such as for mine clearance of target lockon.