PaparaDzIY : mini-drone low cost / do-it-yourself UAV
Résumé
Most of the technology required to build a mini-UAV is today available from the shelf : it is possible to make and operate a fully autonomous mini-UAV with a small investment (less than 1000 Euros). Only basic expertise is needed in three main domains : model aircrafts, electronic and computer science. We propose an HOWTO to help any amateur to assemble and fly its own low cost mini-UAV. These guidelines present the description of the different components and the successive steps to follow and validate. This list of steps include the choice and the building of the airframe, the data downlink, the implementation of the stabilization and navigation control algorithm based on a few sensors (infrared and GPS), the flight test and the analysis of flight parameters. The proposed approach has successfully been used through the Paparazzi project, temporarily nicknamed PaparaDzIY : Do It Yourself. We think that a great percentage of this work can be reused in similar developments.