Open Source Drone Projects

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Open source drone Projects

Open source technology has been growing tremendously in each and every industry. The same goes for drones and other vehicles. There are many open source drone projects that will totally blow your mind.

Some of these projects focus on the hardware while several of these are for the software. We have gathered and handpicked some of the best open source drone projects that you should totally take a look at.

#1 PX4

PX4 is the new and one of the best open source drone project which focuses on the software of the drones. Some of the amazing features that are present in PX4 includes flight analysis as well as sensor data visualization. There are also many other features that make the project one of the best one. Also, there is a huge range of peripherals available that you can use along with this project.

It is basically the drone autopilot project that is made to support a hardware of the drones with software slack. Some of the features include

  • Modular and extensible architecture
  • Single code for all the vehicles including drone
  • The architecture is for autonomy
  • Powerful flight modes that can be easily adjusted
  • Above all, it is free to use

#2 Arudpilot

If you are looking for the most reliable and open source drone project for autopilot, Ardupilot is your choice. It is one of the oldest projects that is still updating on a daily basis.

The project has many case studies on the various vehicle which are not limited to the drones. You will find some of the underwater vehicles, tractors, and many others where you can use this project. You can easily volunteer there and also see a list of the contributors on the official website itself.

There are also various events that you can go if you are want to. Their blog is updated whenever there is anything new you need to know.

Simply taking a look there will tell you a lot of things. If you are looking for an autopilot system for your drone, this is one of the best projects you can use due to its simplicity and the features.

Moreover, there are various case studies that you should take a look at, some of them include

  • Underwater study
  • VTOL search as well as rescue
  • Aerial mapping

#3 Dronecode

You surely have heard about this open source drone project. it is project in association with Linux foundation. PX4, MAVLink, QGroundControl, and MAVSDK are all part of the Dronecode. Therefore, this makes it one of the greatest open source projects for drones. There are 35 authors for this open source drone projects and there is more than 670 firmware that you can use.

We have already mentioned PX4 here. In the same way, you surely take a look at some of these projects. MAVlink is a messaging community, MAVSDK is useful to integrate it with API and library. In the same way, if you want to QGroundControl allows full flight control and mission planning.

Not to mention, there is full roadmap and documentation available for easy integration. Some of the reasons why Dronecode is best are

  • Open source
  • Full Stack
  • Flexible project
  • You can also take the membership
  • There is also an active community to help you out whenever you need
  • Above all, the developers are world class and best in what they do

#4 Paparazzi UAV

Open source drone Projects

Until now, we have seen some of the best projects that were mainly for the software. Paparazzi UAV is for hardware and software. The main focus of the project is on ground system software and automatic flying system. The paparazzi hardware also includes modems and sensors to make things easier. You can directly start using it with the software. The software includes easy configuration, logs, tuning, etc.

You can surely check out the git repository to get started with this tool. The project comes with the GNL license. In other words, it is all in one project that will suit almost all your needs. Here are some of the features of Paparazzi UAV at a glance

  • It supports all the hardware and you can also get other Paparazzi hardware
  • Software configuration is too much easy and there are also various tools to help you with every single thing
  • There are video tutorials available along with lots of other resources. Not to mention, there is full documentation also given.
  • Above all, for the students, you will find some of the coolest small projects which you can create using Paparazzi for your college project.

#5 Flone

We all have talked a lot about drones and the autopilot system. Flone is totally a different project when you compare it with all of these. Using Flone, you can use your smartphone to control the drone. Yes, the project is helpful if you want to use your smartphone for accessing all the features of the drone. It is a complete do it yourself project using which you can configure your smartphone.

All you have to do is download their official application on your mobile phone and your work is done. You can configure it with the documentation given. Moreover, the tool also helps you to map trees and defend all the activities. If you are still confused about whether you should use it or not, here are a few more reasons to use it.

  • It includes a low battery alarm
  • Telemetry in the real-time
  • It is intuitive, you can fly the drone using the moment of your hand.
  • Artificial horizon

Final words

To conclude, these are some of the open source drone projects that you can surely take a look at. There are many other drone projects that you can use. We have tried to cover most of the projects that have almost all the features such as automation, hardware, and smartphones. Make sure you check the guide before you start using any of these open source projects for your use. Moreover, all of these are having their own blog where you can see all the updates. You can also attend the events to know more about the project.

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