RealSense Capabilities with Aero RTF Drone

[JLy]

Hey Guys

Working on getting my drone up and running and am very interested in combining the technologies shown in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lh2EiwQjJ8 IDF Shenzhen 2015 Intel RealSense Technology Partnership w/JD.com - YouTube)

with the Aero drone kit.

Some of the things I would like to be able to do:

Hover the drone a preset distance from a wall or box

Ability to measure and detect boxes - similar to how the JD.com demo

Direct the drone to fly to a identified location autonomously

Not completely sure where to start. I have read forums that discuss how to do this with just the Realsense, but I don't see much combining it with the Aero. I am looking for any suggestions, resources, examples, etc.

Thanks!

[JLy]

Marty,

I tried it using SSH right from my Windows 10 PC. I have the Realsense connected directly to the Aero and am SSHing into it.

Same results unfortunately. I have send a message to Andres, I am hoping he replies.

[idata]

Hi Jonly,

Could you please let us know how you are powering the Aero RTF? I mean, are you using a wall socket power adapter or a LiPo battery (please share the specifications of the battery)? Also, could you please provide the output of the following command: aero-get-version.py? The Aero RTF comes with the pre-assembled RealSense camera, what exactly do you mean when you say "I have the Realsense connected directly to the Aero"? Have you made any change? Regards,-Yermi A.

[JLy]

Hi Yermi,

This is the output:

I have the cameras connected in the "as shipped" orientation. I have made no changes.

The drone is being powered by a fully charged 4S LiPo battery reading 16.7volts

[idata]

Hi Jonly,

Thanks for the information provided. I was able to replicate the issue you are facing. This issue is caused when you try to run these samples through an SSH session. I highly recommend you to connect your Aero to an HDMI monitor and run the samples, you should be able to run them successfully. Regards,-Yermi A.

[JLy]

Hi Yermi -

Yes indeed, that did solve my problem. I was able to run the samples when directly connected to the HDMI.

Do you have any sample code I can use to test the 8mp and VGA cameras that are a part of the vision accessory kit? I am doing some development with those two cameras and would like to test them as well.

Thank you

[idata]

Hi,

Great to know you were able to run the samples. In regards to your new question, please take a look at this discussion about using the 8MP and VGA cameras: /thread/110654 https://communities.intel.com/thread/110654, there you will find useful information and sample codes to use these cameras. In case you have further questions regarding the Aero RTF, I'd recommend to open a new thread in the Aero community (/community/tech/intel-aero https://communities.intel.com/community/tech/intel-aero), as we and other members of the community can help you. Regards,-Yermi A.

[JLy]

Hi Yermi

I am now having a new issue.

I cannot get the controller to bind to the drone and the drone will not fly higher than 6 feet. Please advise me as soon as you can - I was expected to provide a demonstration of my project this Friday.

[MartyG]

As usual, I reiterate that I'm not a drone specialist, but I will try to provide some useful guidance.

You are not the first person I have heard of who found that their Ready To Fly drone would only rise to a certain level (e.g 1 m) and then go no further. You should be able to overcome it though. This Getting Started PDF guide is very useful if you have not seen it already.

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/boardsandkits/aero/intel-aero-rtf-drone-getting-started.pdf https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/boardsandkits/aero/intel-aero-rtf-drone-getting-started.pdf

Page 7 lists a procedure to follow if the transmitter and receiver appear not to be bound (indicated by the orange LED on the receiver blinking).

Regarding the altitude limit issue: page 9 lists the three settings that Flight Mode can be set to - Manual (total control of drone flight - the most skillful control level), Altitude Hold and Position Hold (get GPS satellite assistance to control the drone) and

Altitude Hold is not as well documented as the other flight modes, but my research suggests that in this mode, the drone will rise to a certain minimum altitude and then hover until the altitude setting is changed. This sounds like what you are experiencing. So I would check if your Flight Mode switch on your handheld remote control transmitter is set to '1' (Altitude hold).

[JLy]

Hi Marty - Again thanks for all your help.

I am able to get the controller to sync for now...

As far as the altitude, yes I am using altitude hold because I am able to best fly the drone in that mode. Are you familiar with what parameter might change that "hold" altitude?

[MartyG]

Position Hold mode is probably the best compromise between the high control difficulty of Manual mode and the limitations of Altitude mode. Position Hold is certainly the mode Intel recommends for outdoor use of the drone in the Getting Started Guide. If you choose to use that mode, you should put the drone in a location with a clear view of the sky and wait at least 2 minutes to give the drone time to lock on to the GPS satellite.

If you want to use Altitude mode though and need to change the altitude to break out of the hover status, then I believe you should use QGroundControl to do so. You could assign tuning controls to dials on your handheld transmitter.

https://docs.qgroundcontrol.com/en/SetupView/Tuning.html https://docs.qgroundcontrol.com/en/SetupView/Tuning.html

If you are on a short deadline though and are flying the drone outdoors, it might be easier to just practice with Position Hold flight mode, which will still give you some decent auto-assist flight functions.

[JLy]

Hi Marty

I have an optical flow sensor connected and mounted to the bottom of the drone

Interestingly enough, when using Position mode, the drone will also not fly higher than 6'. It also will fly pretty good for a while and then start to get very squirly or start drifting hard in a random direction. It's almost as if the trims become completely reset mid flight.

I don't understand why using altitude or position mode (the only modes that make this thing actually flyable) are leaving me stuck at an altitude of 6'. This doesn't make any sense to me. I wish someone from Intel would chime in on this.

[MartyG]

Intel's specification on the Ready To Fly drone states the maximum achievable height off the ground to be 122 meters approximately, and the default transmitter supplied with the drone has a range of 300 meters.

If you are still limited to 6 ft in Position Hold mode, my next thought would be whether the throttle is limited, reducing the achievable height. An Intel FAQ suggests, "Check if the Motor/Throttle toggle switch on the remote control transmitter is in the Arm position. If it's in the Disarm position, throttling has no effect."

[JLy]

Good suggestion, however I am able to fly it up to 6' as fast as it can go - the drone will stop itself and level back out at 6' so I know the throttling is not the issue

[MartyG]

Have you followed the recommended startup procedure of beginning in Manual flight mode and only changing to Altitude Hold once the motors have been armed?

[JLy]

Yes I have tried just about everything except changing modes mid flight as I do not trust this thing in the air at all...

[MartyG]

Apparently if signal is listening mid air or the transmitter is lost when in GPS more, the drone is supposed to returning on its start position and auto land. I have heard of mishaps though - presumably in Manual mode - with flip-overs and sudden bursts of speed when trying to take off.

There was an interesting test video where someone who had hold and drift issues suspected that the cooling fan was affecting the barometer.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3lu9xq8Cm1E&feature=youtu.be https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3lu9xq8Cm1E&feature=youtu.be

[MartyG]

I did some follow-up research. Someone else who reported stability issues was pointed to info on calibrating the drone. It says "The Inertial Motion Unit (IMU) and compass used by the Intel Aero Flight Controller to stabilize the drone need to be calibrated. When you receive the RTF Drone from the factory, it is already calibrated. But after you flash the flight controller, the calibration settings are not valid anymore. You need to recalibrate."

https://github.com/intel-aero/meta-intel-aero/wiki/02-Initial-Setup# calibration 02 Initial Setup · intel-aero/meta-intel-aero Wiki · GitHub

This is only relevant though if you have performed a flash update on the flight controller since you received the Ready To Fly kit.

[JLy]

Hi Marty -

I am using an Optical Flow sensor with GPS/barometer disabled - actually the GPS antenna is completely broken off after so numerous crashes with this thing.

I have not calibrated the drone recently, I could try it again however I can't seem to figure out how the drone will drift hard to the right and barely take off one second, then start flying normally, then drift to the left. Honestly I am completely unimpressed with the RTF kit :/

[MartyG]

It is intended to act as a development kit, a core to build your own custom drone around. 'Ready To Fly' describes the kit being supplied with the basic components for it to fly. I can understand the frustration of RTF users though when the core of the drone does not seem to be stable for them, as that makes it difficult to then build further customizations on top of the kit parts.

If it is any reassurance, you are certainly not the first person who has broken antenna off their drone during a crash. You can purchase replacement parts for the kit via Yuneec's drone store, though probably not in time for your Friday demo.

I see Intel support agent Andres had already recommended calibration to you over on the drone forum on October 3 - sorry I didn't see that before now and repeated the advice.

I note that you are using wi-fi for calibration because USB would not work for you. I tracked down another case where someone was having problems calibrating via wi-fi.

.

[JLy]

Marty I appreciate your assistance - you have been incredibly helpful.

With all of the onboard sensors you would think that the drone should be a more stably flying vehicle - when it does fly stable it won't go higher than 6'

I originally thought I had a faulty model - flying in position mode never worked properly with a GPS lock. Now I am starting to believe that the software is more the issue

[MartyG]

People do seem to be able to fly the drone - albeit with some unsteadiness - if they use Manual mode. As this mode has the least assists though, it has to be learned with baby steps and a light touch on the controls so it doesn't shoot away or go into a spin.