Bitcraze Forums

Is it possible to write a program on pc that would fly the crazyflie from point A to point B?

Yes and no.. You CAN write a program that controlls thrust, pitch, roll and yaw - estimate the velocities and orientations from that and integrate to position, but for absolute position control you would need a gps module.. You could try to integrate one into the cf, but you would need to do some hardware and software modifications.. also weight seems to be an issue.

I have found a GPS Module which has a weight of about 6g. This is too much for the crazyflie, the flight time will be very decreased.
Maybe the board is extended and modified: add the gps modul in the middle of the board, add a minimal stronger motor and a bit more battery capacity to compensate it.

Hi,

I'm also interested in creating a program to control crazyflie "automatically".
What would be the best way to go about creating this program? Is it possible to use any other language (c or java) than python?

Thanks!

It's everyone's dream to get a autopilot

Maybe a solution: Use the double motor trick (instead of using 4 motors use 8->) to get more available payload and then add a GPS module e.g.[url] http://www.robotshop.com/eu/4d-systems ... ver-2.html
This has a weight of 6g, you have to create also a controller (e.g. GPS I²C Interface) which communicate with the extension header part and then with the CF firmware. From there you have to create (or adopt from existing ones) a driver and then you can control your CF automatically. Maybe you will also need a working barometer and magnetometer to do so (already going on).

It is not a very short way and it will consume a lot of time, but if someone has time and/or is willing to do it then we all profit from this.

If you do not want to add GPS then there is the other solution with OpenCV (Look here). A robot has to know his limited area otherwise he cannot be controlled.

ehehe, it's not my dream per se but since I'm a programmer I just want to build something fun and different from what I'm used to.
My idea was to try to mount a camera on the crazyflie and do some image recognition but there's still no ideal solution to mount a camera as of yet (i've been following some threads on this topic).

So to start I'm just going to try to make it fly in a straight line and make it land alone.
Just wanted to know if there's a simple project just to control the thrusters and check the values from the sensors instead of having to modify crazyflie pc client because it's a bigger project.

Thanks for the tips!

I'm a programmer too, but also programming hardware not only applications for users

There is the possibility to control the crazyflie with send commands: thrust, pitch, roll, yaw (as TheFrog4u said).
If you're a programmer than you can create a API to control the pc client software from the command line or similar.

You have to do something with PC Client, otherwise it is not possible to do something (or create all from beginning ;D).

Hm.. but maybe you can look at the android app code, (android is java like) there might be a solution to control our crazyflie without pc client.
SImulate android of a VM, change your program, etc... jut some thoughts

I think I just found what I was asking for: http://forum.bitcraze.se/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=317
Gonna try to play with it and if I build something entertaining I'll post it in the forums

Thanks!

WTF A speaking autopilot http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/VideoAbspielen?id=246

Moved to the Crazyflie > Development sections, since this is CF specific (and not targeting quadrocopters in general)