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Parallax is Seeking Your Feedback on UAVs! — Parallax Forums

Parallax is Seeking Your Feedback on UAVs!

Kyle M.Kyle M. Posts: 112
edited 2015-06-28 16:22 in Robotics
Fellow Multirotor Enthusiasts,
We (I and others) at Parallax are actively developing new and exciting UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) products. Please help us by taking a few minutes to tell us about any experience you have with UAVs and our ELEV-8 product line. Your feedback is just as valuable if you have no experience with UAVs. Thank you very much for your time!

Survey Link: http://goo.gl/forms/RpTKwAf6iN

Comments

  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2015-06-28 08:56
    Hi Kyle,

    Will we be able to see the results of the survey after we complete it? ( Mine is in).

    Jim
  • Kyle M.Kyle M. Posts: 112
    edited 2015-06-28 16:22
    Publison wrote: »
    Hi Kyle,

    Will we be able to see the results of the survey after we complete it? ( Mine is in).

    Jim

    Jim,
    Thank you very much for taking the survey! Once I have a satisfactory amount of data (hopefully in a few days), I'll release a summary of findings in this thread.
    -Kyle
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2015-07-01 15:05
    Posting to see were this shows up. It was in Mulirotor.
    Shows up in PROJECTS.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    Amazing this did not get any more activity.
  • koehlerkoehler Posts: 598
    I think UAV's are a niche too late.

    Its been years since the Arduino has been into it, and frankly, they are losing the cachet they had and acquiring a rep like Google Glass.  That and everyone municipality is eemingly having to get involved and start legislating. 

    Also they seem to be getting to commodity price now.
  • PropGuy2PropGuy2 Posts: 360
    Oh contraire!!!  You are not thinking very well.  I believe we are just getting started the "robotics" industry.  Trouble is, everyone is looking at quad-copters, and land type robots, and their ilk. Its great for the occasional "Maker" and hobbyist, but the real world market is ready and waiting for the next generation of 'bots. We finally have the hardware basics and the computing power (think Prop) to do amazing things with robots.  Our minds are just closed to seeing the possibilities of what is in the future.
    I have worked on military project most of my engineering career, but the military is changing with lighting speed to meet our world challenges.  Brave soldiers have no chance against intelligent land / tank type Stryker vehicles and robots (they never sleep, tire, or miss a shot)  Likewise, for the Predator drone.  Ditto, for the Navy's Phalanx gun systems.  A lot of other hardware yet to be designed and deployed.
    Add in the use of robots in the medical field, both for surgery, drug injections, body parts/ prosthetics, and diagnostic exploration (think the "Fantastic Voyage" movie). Imagine the possibilities for medical robot use in five, 10 or 20 years.  Personally, I can't wait.
    One area of robots use is under-sea fishing, aquaculture, exploration of our oceans.  Just touching the tip of robots in this area.  I see robot guided ships, submarines, and life saving drones(?)  Maybe something to scoop up pollution, a pollution barge that roams the ocean looking for "stuff" That is the easy, low hanging fruit stuff, what else is around the corner in under-sea robotics. 
    So, it is not just gaming, quad-copters, and robots, its bigger than that. Like I said, Our minds are just closed to seeing the possibilities of what is in the future.  Let's get thinking, building upon what we have, the future is here.
  • macrobeakmacrobeak Posts: 354
    Propguy2,
    Well stated on the potential and depth of the Robotics field.
    I would like to see hardware (even if other hardware suppliers are recommended), Prop-based controllers and Prop-based learning modules for the following types of Robots. I have summarized the current status as I see it, but I may be missing something.
    a) land wheeled robots - very well done already.
    b) flight robots - pretty well done with quadcopters, with Prop flight controller development afoot.
    c) 2.5 axis (at least) CNC and/or 3D printing. Some forum developments, but not learner-friendly
    d) underwater ROV. Not much.
  • rjo__rjo__ Posts: 2,114
    Libby was all over me to get started with UAV's. UAVs are big in the developer/academic circles in Las Vegas, which is the slow move we are now making. Slow because there are property and family issues to resolve.

    I took a fairly critical look at the sensors... gyro's etc. They are incredibly interesting and beautiful little pieces of electronics... I have a drawer full of them. As a whole, they are inherently unstable. Without some recalibration logic, which wasn't there when I was looking, they are fine for 5 minute flights(sometimes longer... sometimes shorter... you never know until you crash).

    IF someone were to mix feed-back from a camera system together with data from GPS, quads might be stable all day. To do this as a complete robot, with no human interaction, the bot would have to have some idea of where the horizon is and be able to figure it's correct orientation independently of the gyro/accelerometer/baro. The secondary system doesn't have to be fast it just has to be reliable... it is just there to keep the other sensors honest.

    Phil's PropCam seems up to this task and I'm surprised that it is not already being used. If it has been tried, then I missed it and would be interested to know what the results were.

    I didn't get a big quad because of these issues, but I did buy several small ones... just to play and stimulate my thinking.
    I would be interested in a micro package from Parallax... all the same issues and sensors, but 1/3-1/2 the price.
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    Mini fpv quadcopters fly through branches, doors...windows. They speed just a couple of feet above pavement, rocks, streams. The pilot punches the throttle and they're way above the trees. It sounds like a swarm of bees. I love the sound. It's an adrenaline rush.
    OTOH I see the ELEV-8 as large and unwieldy. A smaller sport model with Parallax open-code would be great.
    What about an integrated esc breakout board?
  • Kyle M.Kyle M. Posts: 112
    I'm right there with you - I love the mini FPV experience. It's been on my mind for a potential future product since May. On such a small quad, there certainly are advantages (particularly in terms of weight) to a combined quad-ESC and power distro. On the other hand, cooling can become a problem when putting 4 ESCs together and away from prop wash. We did look at making a quad-ESCs for the next ELEV-8 version, but I ultimately decided against it given the power needed and quality and price of other options available. However, it definitely has even more potential in a mini quad. With Mini Quads, integrated power distribution and structure plates are also an option, but that means replacement plates become even more expenxsive (and more work) and there is a potential for a short if the plate brakes.
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    Kyle M., Thanks for educating me about the need to cool the esc's. I thought the practice of placing them below the props created turbulence making thrust less efficient.
    "I'm right there with you - I love the mini FPV experience.
    We program micros so we have an advantage over basic RC enthusiasts. Things would be easier if a lot more of us discovered the potential.
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    I threw my hat into the ring :)

    The survey was a lot shorter than I had anticipated.
  • Sir GawainSir Gawain Posts: 32
    For me, part of the rewarding experience of using the Propeller chip is the ability to investigate and understand all of the code. I love fully understanding every last bit and to be able to have access to all of it.
    I am intrigued by the PID of the whole UAV category.
    What I would love is open hardware and open software so as to be able to build and code UAVs with all of the possible features - automatic hovering, returning, landing, moves, formations, etc.
    This would be a real showcase for what the Propeller can do.
    I don't like building something and then having to download code / drivers that remain hidden to me a builder and coder.
    I would love to see and open group that can also encourage UAV projects for the public benefit.

    In short, I've been waiting for the right 'sharing' before giving in to my UAV cravings.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2015-09-15 22:10
    Parallax is producing it's own flight controller. I believe it will be Open Source. It's almost ready to be put on the Pick and Place machine as we speak.

    Kyle, need an update.



  • Kyle M.Kyle M. Posts: 112
    Hi! Publison is correct! As he said, it will be open source software and hardware. We've got working prototypes internally, and decided to push forward with one more (final) revision so that we can provide you with the most refined, capable, and reliable flight controller possible (and one that won't be obsoleted quickly). We're sending the final PCB design for production within a week. Look for an "official" announcement sometime next month, with a release to follow! I can't provide too many details yet, but we're feverishly working on it and very excited (and think you all will be too when you see it!).
    -Kyle
  • Patrick ColemanPatrick Coleman Posts: 43
    edited 2015-10-11 03:56
    As and EE student from Shasta College and CSU Chico, Id like to thank Parallax for the survey. I did complete it and gave honest answers. What Parallax can improve on, is sensor integration. I use LiDAR and NDVI cameras for evaluating the health of plants and trees from 300 feet up.

    Ive decided to move away from the STM32 series which we learn to use at CSU Chico in favor of the Propeller series. That's a bold and dangerous decisions as some of our rival teams in China and at the University of Michigan have unlimited funds and full scale flying computers which we could never afford.[img][/img]

    Ive taken part in the IARC competition, (http://aerialroboticscompetition.org/) and would appreciate financial support for my team if Parallax would be so inclined. ( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/215756405/uav-for-humanitarian-aid-and-environmental-researc )

    Let me post some pics: . . . they're on my hard drive, not a link :depressed:
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