Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bird Simulator |
Anthony Amella Eli Yang Emily Liu |
Shiyuan Duan | ||
| # Bird Simulator Team Members: - Anthony Amella (aamel2) - Emily Liu (el20) - Eli Yang (eliyang2) # Problem FPV drones give people a chance to experience immersive flight through FPV goggles, improving engagement. However, this immersion is primarily visual and does not allow for physical control such as motion cues or body orientation. This results in an experience with a realism factor missing for people who want an even more exhilarating experience. # Solution Our bird simulator will allow the pilot to control a drone using motion. This system will consist of a drone with a camera, FPV goggles, and a suit connected to IMUs that can be worn by a person that will read information about how their body moves and is oriented. The motion captured by the suit will then be converted to instructions that the drone can use to maneuver in its environment. # Solution Components ## Visuals We will use 5.8 GHz radio to transmit video data from the drone to the goggles using a pair of transmitters and receivers (RTC6705 and RTC6715). These RF modules handle amplifying, mixing, and modulating/demodulating signals, while leaving us the ability to configure and program the module through SPI with a microcontroller. We will use a camera that outputs analog video to be transmitted by the RTC6705 and received by the RTC6715 module in the goggles to be converted to composite video and displayed on a small screen. We expect the development of the other subsystems to require a lot of trial and error, so we will develop a virtual simulation environment using JavaScript/WebGL that will allow testing with less safety concerns. ## Drone We will design and manufacture a drone from scratch. The body of the drone will be made through a waterjet from carbon fiber, similar to existing COTS racing drones. Tentatively, we will make the drone on a 3-inch frame. Notably, the drone will have a servo attached to the FPV camera, which will allow for pitch to be changed mid-flight. This will allow the drone to look forward, regardless of the position of the actual drone body. This will allow the FPV pilot to feel more like a bird, since birds generally look forward during flight, regardless of their speed. The drone will consist of a 5.8GHz AM radio transmitter, as described above, as well as a 2.4GHz SX1280 receiver for control signals from the pilot. We will also make our own ESCs, allowing us to control the motors with a custom BLDC controller with FDMC8010 MOSFETs. The drone will have auto-leveling capabilities, harnessing the IMU in the drone body. This will allow for easier flight, with the drone staying roughly level. ## Control There will be 4 IMUs embedded in a wearable suit that will collect data to be combined and used to determine the motion and orientation of the user: one on each arm, one on the head, and one on the torso. We plan to use the IIM-20670 which includes a gyroscope and accelerometer and communicates with the MCU using SPI. Movements such as head rotation, wing flapping, body orientation, and others to be determined will be translated to stick inputs on a normal drone controller. We will also make a normal drone controller to override suit inputs and take over control in case the drone starts behaving unexpectedly. Both the suit and the controller will transmit signals using a 2.4 GHz transceiver (SX1280), which will be received by the drone also equipped with an SX1280. Using these modules requires writing driver code to facilitate communication with the MCU. # Criterion For Success At a minimum, we will make a drone that is able to control four BLDC motors, as well as receive 2.4GHz control signals and transmit 5.8GHz video. The drone will have some form of auto-leveling with a built in IMU, as well as a camera with variable pitch. We will also make a bird suit, with four IMUs that can generate signals that could control the drone. These signals will initially be used to control a drone simulator, programmed in WebGL. If time permits, these signals will also control the drone, allowing for real-world flight. Of note, Eli Yang has a FAA Remote Pilot Certification, allowing for legal outside flight. To start, we will use off-the-shelf FPV goggles, but we will make our own if time permits. |
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