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What do you need for an autonomous quadcopter?
A quadcopter must have a method of localization in order to execute any sort of autonomous motion. Both a camera and a proximity sensor are used to tell the quadcopter where it is.
How does a camera work on a quadcopter?
Both a camera and a proximity sensor are used to tell the quadcopter where it is. The proximity sensor uses ultrasonic pulses and the speed of sound to determine distance, while the camera captures colors which are isolated and analyzed to produce a reliable target location using computer vision.
Is there an autonomous quadrotor helicopter in flight?
Fig. 1. The STARMAC II autonomous quadrotor helicopter in flight. vehicle instrument payload, and a decentralized information theoretic control algorithm to coordinate aircraft [13]. Other work has demonstrated efficient path-planning and trajectory following in obstacle-rich environments [14], [15].
What are the aerodynamics of an autonomous quadrotor?
Since many previous autonomous quadrotor projects have flown indoors, relatively little attention has been paid to the aerodynamics of quadro- tors in conditions other than hovering and flying at low speeds. Recent work has shown that at higher speeds and in outdoor flight several aerodynamic effects impact the flight characteristics of quadrotors.
Can a quadcopter be dangerous to an airplane?
Although the quadcopter is small, the speed of the blades creates a safety hazard. Furthermore, a “runaway” quadcopter scenario can be dangerous for airplanes in the surrounding area, and is also illegal. Therefore, the team made the first goal of development ensuring it was possible to regain control should the quadcopter begin to fly away.
Who are the members of the Cornell quadcopter project?
The team executed design and testing in a two-pronged approach – Tim and Alex developed the flight controller while Christian worked on computer vision. The flight controller team also developed the overall systems architecture that allows the computer vision and proximity sensor to provide data to the flight controller.