Aerial robot for autonomous missions is here!

COEX Clover - an educational kit

COEX Clover is an educational drone designed for indoor operation. Its proper frame allows for comfortable testing of vision algorithms, and plastic covers take care of safety. We purchased it as part of CopterHack 2022, in which we participated.

A newly unlocked robotic opportunity

In our view, this is an interesting solution to testing machine learning vision algorithms and active control techniques. The aerial robot has a PX4 flight computer and is also equipped with a Raspberry Pi 4. The combination of these components enables using the Robot Operating System (ROS) via the MAVROS bridge. The authors also provide a simulator that enables the use of a realistic drone model. Thus, we can develop the algorithms consecutively: in the simulation, on the Clover, and finally on a fully operational UAV.

The first autonomous flight!

Manual flights adjusted PID values enough - flying is stable. Now it is time for an autonomous mission launched from the console! The task is simple: takeoff, hover, check for stability, and landing. Spatial stabilization is provided by the optical flow from the camera. What is the final effect? You can look at the video below: