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projects:autonomous_drones [2016/08/28 07:47] dolf |
projects:autonomous_drones [2016/09/02 02:26] (current) dolf |
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| ===== Introduction ===== | ===== Introduction ===== | ||
| - | Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park is a mountainous natural park of 80km<sup>2</sup> in the Cuernos de Negros mountain chain between Dumaguete, Sibulan, Valencia and San Jose. It contains one of the last stretches of primary forest in Negros, and the Philippines. Economical interests and illegal deforestation put pressure on this last stretch of highland tropical forest. To put a halt to the illegal deforestation, the PAMB (protected area management board) of the park wants to more tightly monitor the stretches of forest. Due to the size of the park and limited personnel availability, it takes a lot of time to monitor the whole park on foot. To aid their monitoring they looked at the possibilities of a technological solution to aid the monitoring. At a presentation of the PAMB, the Nightowl Technology Incubator and Hackerspace was asked if UAV's (drones) could be an option in monitoring this area. Due to the limitations of flight time (around 20min) and signal range (3km) of the remote controller, regular drones are of limited use for this purpose. If autonomous UAV's on the other hand could monitor this area much better, which would greatly improve the monitoring capabilities. Commercial autonomous UAV's are cost-prohibitive for this application though. If we could device a low-cost, DYI, open source autonomous UAV system, we could use it to assist both the Balinsasayao National Park but it could also be a very interesting project for other areas. | + | Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park is a mountainous natural park of 80km<sup>2</sup> in the Cuernos de Negros mountain chain between Dumaguete, Sibulan, Valencia and San Jose. It contains one of the last stretches of primary forest in Negros, and the Philippines. Economical interests and illegal deforestation put pressure on this last stretch of highland tropical forest. To put a halt to the illegal deforestation, the PAMB (protected area management board) of the park wants to more tightly monitor the stretches of forest. Due to the size of the park and limited personnel availability, it takes a lot of time to monitor the whole park on foot. To aid their monitoring they looked at the possibilities of a technological solution to aid the monitoring. At a presentation of the PAMB, the Nightowl Technology Incubator and Hackerspace of Foundation University was asked if UAV's (drones) could be an option in monitoring this area. Due to the limitations of flight time (around 20min) and signal range (3km) of remote controlled drones, regular drones are of limited use for this purpose. Autonomous UAV's on the other hand that would not depend on a human operator within it's signal range, and can recharge independently when batteries are low, could have a much greater effective monitoring range, while being able to operate continuously without human intervention. This would greatly improve monitoring capabilities. Commercial autonomous UAV's are cost-prohibitive for this application though. We therefore propose to develop our own low-cost autonomous drone platform, based upon existing open source hard- and software. Using this drone platform, assistance could be given to the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park and other interested organisations who need assistance in monitoring deforestation and reforestation. The platform would also lend itself to additional development of remote-sensing capabilities later on. |
| - | This is pushing the boundaries of drones though, and will require many different technologies to be applied and combined and possibly developed. As such it is an ambitious project that requires a lot of Research and Development, and the outcome is far from certain. The Nightowl Incubator and Maker-Space, where ambitious students and makers are available, is the ideal location to take on this long-term project, and tackle the problems one by one. But without both financial and practical aid this will be a difficult task. Financial aid needs to be found form DENR, DOST and other government agencies, and partnerships need to be found with other groups within and outside universities to get the best people together. | + | Since this project is pushing the boundaries of UAV's, it will require many different technologies to be applied and combined and possibly developed. As such it is an ambitious project that requires a lot of research and development, and the outcome is far from certain. The Nightowl Incubator and Maker-Space, under the supervision of the Foundation University College of Computer Sciences, where ambitious students and makers are available, is the ideal location to take on this long-term project, and tackle the problems one by one. Financial aid needs to be found form DENR, DOST and other government agencies, and partnerships need to be found with other groups within and outside universities to get the best people together. |
| ===== Scope ===== | ===== Scope ===== | ||
| - | This project will be purely an R&D/prototyping project. The goal is to investigate whether it is possible to develop a UAV system with a limited budget and technical resources, and by using as many existing open-source components as possible, that is able to operate without human intervention or purely remote (km's away) human intervention. There are many aspects and requirements to this project that are all ambitious. Some of the aspects of the project might have the outcome that more work is needed, or the required technology doesn't exist yet or is still cost-prohibitive, and therefore the application as described in the introduction is not possible at this time. For the components that are deemed feasible, the project will try to develop and test the components, and document the whole process for use by others. All components and software that need to be developed within this project will be made available under an open-source license, and will be published online, available to the general public. | + | This project will be purely an R&D/prototyping project. The goal is to investigate whether it is possible to develop a UAV system with a limited budget and technical resources, that is able to operate without human intervention or purely remote human intervention from several kilometers away. This is only possible when using as many existing open-source software and hardware as possible. There are many aspects and requirements to this project that are all ambitious. Some of the aspects of the project might have the outcome that more work is needed, or the required technology doesn't exist yet or is still cost-prohibitive at this time. A step-by-step approach will therefore be taken where the project is divided into three phases that will be taken on one-by-one. Between each phase, the progress, hurdles and opportunities will be reviewed. |
| + | This project proposal only covers phase 1, which will encompass building a drone that is able to fly without direct human control between two GPS coordinates, preset on the drone before take-off, while taking pictures or video along the way. An effort will be made to make the flight time and distance as long as possible, and make the recovery of the drone possible in case of problems. | ||
| + | ==== Ownership ==== | ||
| + | All components and software that needs to be developed within this project will be made available under an open-source license, and will be published online, available to the general public. This will enable the continued development of the platform by Foundation University and other inside and outside the Philippines. At least three test sessions will be held in Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park and all data gathered there will be shared with the PAMB and other interested parties. | ||
| + | The drone and all materials bought and developed during this project will remain the property of Foundation University. | ||
| ===== Design and requirements ===== | ===== Design and requirements ===== | ||
| The final goal of this project is to have a UAV that can operate without human intervention in monitoring deforestation in a relatively large area. To accomplish this, base stations are necessary where the drone can land, charge, receive commands, and shelter from bad weather. When commanded by a central management application, the drone will take off and independently fly to another charging station, while taking pictures. The charging stations need to be able to communicate between eachother and the drone to receive and send commands, which would be possible using a wireless mesh. A central controlling computer needs to be able to send commands to the drone and charging stations to plan the route of the drone, taking weather conditions, flight time and monitoring progress into account. | The final goal of this project is to have a UAV that can operate without human intervention in monitoring deforestation in a relatively large area. To accomplish this, base stations are necessary where the drone can land, charge, receive commands, and shelter from bad weather. When commanded by a central management application, the drone will take off and independently fly to another charging station, while taking pictures. The charging stations need to be able to communicate between eachother and the drone to receive and send commands, which would be possible using a wireless mesh. A central controlling computer needs to be able to send commands to the drone and charging stations to plan the route of the drone, taking weather conditions, flight time and monitoring progress into account. | ||
| {{ :projects:autonomous_drone_design.png?300|}} | {{ :projects:autonomous_drone_design.png?300|}} | ||
| - | ==== The UAV ==== | + | ==== Risk assessment ==== |
| - | * Be able to fly between base stations of a fixed, known location, in an area without obstructions above a minimum altitude | + | We can run various risks with the project that need to be addressed. The following are the most important risks and their mitigation. |
| + | ^ Risk ^Mitigation ^ | ||
| + | | Technical complexity of the project | Split the program into several phases and handle them one by one | | ||
| + | | | Use as much existing open-source software and hardware | | ||
| + | | Damage due to crash landing in the trees | Budget available for spare parts | | ||
| + | | | 3D printer available to create replacement parts | | ||
| + | | | Fly low over trees | | ||
| + | | | Test in low-risk area | | ||
| + | | Drone lost due to crash | Beacon and antennas for locating the drone | | ||
| + | | Water damage due to crash landing over water | Only fly over land | | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Existing technology and software ==== | ||
| + | * [[https://www.dronecode.org/dronecode-software-platform|Ardupilot software]] for routing of autonomous flying drones | ||
| + | * [[http://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-autopilots.html#common-autopilots|Pixhawk open-source drone controller for autonomous operation]] | ||
| + | * [[https://www.dronecode.org/|Dronecode open-source software development ecosystem for UAV's]] | ||
| + | * [[https://www.adafruit.com/product/1407|Inductive charging]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Requirements ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | === The UAV === | ||
| + | * Be able to fly over land only between base stations of a fixed, known location, in an area without obstructions above a minimum altitude | ||
| * Land at the base stations accurately enough to allow wireless charging | * Land at the base stations accurately enough to allow wireless charging | ||
| * Record photo or video data along the way | * Record photo or video data along the way | ||
| Line 28: | Line 53: | ||
| * The UAV should be easily locatable in case of a crash or other problem | * The UAV should be easily locatable in case of a crash or other problem | ||
| * It should be able to charge it batteries wirelessly | * It should be able to charge it batteries wirelessly | ||
| + | * Water proof for water crash? | ||
| + | * Wireless communication throughout flight to relocate it later on? | ||
| - | ==== Base station ==== | + | === Base station === |
| * Provide electricity to charge the drone batteries (solar?) | * Provide electricity to charge the drone batteries (solar?) | ||
| * Be able to charge the drone batteries wirelessly | * Be able to charge the drone batteries wirelessly | ||
| Line 36: | Line 63: | ||
| * Optional: Communicate simple instructions to the drone for route planning | * Optional: Communicate simple instructions to the drone for route planning | ||
| - | ==== Central management application ==== | + | === Central management application === |
| The necessity of this application is not certain and depends on the possibilities of the drone and it's base station. Optional requirements could be: | The necessity of this application is not certain and depends on the possibilities of the drone and it's base station. Optional requirements could be: | ||
| * Monitor weather conditions to evaluate of they are suitable for the UAV to fly | * Monitor weather conditions to evaluate of they are suitable for the UAV to fly | ||
| Line 44: | Line 71: | ||
| * Provide information on the health of the UAV and base stations and notify a user if required | * Provide information on the health of the UAV and base stations and notify a user if required | ||
| - | ===== Project Milestones ===== | + | ==== Locating the drone after crash ==== |
| + | * The NRF24L01+ with antenna, PA and LNA (power amplifier and low noise amplifier) can have around 300-1000m range, we could use that to transmit the location of the drone in flight, so we know where it goes down. Disadvantage is it's bulk and probably larger battery requirement (and thus weight). We could also use it to keep sending the drone GPS coordinates out on 2.4GHz from the GPS module. See http://www.elecfreaks.com/wiki/index.php?title=2.4G_Wireless_nRF24L01p_with_PA_and_LNA. The price is good at around $15 for two modules. See http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-NRF24L01-PA-LNA-SMA-Antenna-Wireless-Transceiver-communication-module-2-4G-/111853679356 | ||
| + | * Loc8tor lite is a tag with locator that can find the tag back accurately from 122m: http://www.loc8tor.com/everyday/loc8tor-lite.html/ This would be good for the last little stretch in a forest, but costs $90. | ||
| + | * A complete, but expensive solution is from the Marco Polo locator at close to $300. http://eurekaproducts.com/product-category/buyrcmodelsystems/ | ||
| + | * A DIY telemetry kit with around 700m range (open field) is possible for around $20 as well. This seems a very good option right now. See https://quadmeup.com/diy-wireless-telemetry-link-for-uav/ | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Precision landing ==== | ||
| + | There is an irlock module available for precision landing. It is an IR sensor that centers the drone over a location. It is compatible with the dronecode/ardupilot suite of software. See http://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/precision-landing-with-irlock.html | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Deliverables ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ^ Deliverable ^ Phase ^ Title ^ Due date ^ | ||
| + | | 1. | 1 | Finalize current proposal | Sep 2016 | | ||
| + | | 2. | 1 | Get funding commitments | Okt 2016 | | ||
| + | | 3. | 1 | UAV controller circuitry complete | Dec 2016 | | ||
| + | | 4. | 1 | UAV can receive instructions through wire to fly to GPS coordinates | Feb 2017 | | ||
| + | | 5. | 1 | Drone localisation and retrieval possible form 1km away| Mar 2017 | | ||
| + | | 6. | 1 | Hook-up a camera system to the drone | Mar 2017 | | ||
| + | | 7. | 2 | Drone can land on base station | | | ||
| + | | 8. | 2 | Base station design complete | | | ||
| + | | 9. | 2 | Wireless charging works | | | ||
| + | | 10. | 3 | UAV can receive commands wirelessly | | | ||
| + | | 11. | 3 | Base stations can communicate in a mesh configuration | | | ||
| + | | 12. | 3 | UAV can receive instrcutions from a central management application | | | ||
| + | | 13. | 3 | Central management application can plan drone flight for multiple drones | | | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Budget ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Materials ==== | ||
| + | ^ Item ^ Link ^ Qty ^ Price (USD) ^ Total ^ | ||
| + | | Drone platform | | 1 | 30 | 30 | | ||
| + | | Wireless communication module (NRF24L01+PA+LNA) | http://www.elecfreaks.com/wiki/index.php?title=2.4G_Wireless_nRF24L01p_with_PA_and_LNA | 2 | 15 | 30 | | ||
| + | | Pixhawk Drone controllerboard/IMU with GPS | https://www.unmannedtechshop.co.uk/unmanned-pixhawk-autopilot-kit/ | 1 | 240 | 240 | | ||
| + | | HC-12 Wireless Drone locator Module | http://www.ebay.com/itm/433Mhz-HC-12-SI4463-Wireless-Serial-Port-Module-1000m-Replace-Bluetooth-Module-/131167660092 | 2 | 20 | 40 | | ||
| + | | Go-pro camera | | 1 | 0 | 0 | | ||
| + | | ABS 3d printing filament | http://ph.rs-online.com/web/p/3d-printing-materials/8320368/ | 1 | 45 | 45 | | ||
| + | | Li(ion/po) Batteries 3500mAh | | 6 | 8 | 48 | | ||
| + | | **Total** | | | | **433** | | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Personnel costs ==== | ||
| + | ^ Role ^ FTE (monthly?) rate ^ Number of days ^ Total ^ | ||
| + | | Research assistants | | | | | ||
| + | | Researchers | | | | | ||
| + | | Project manager | | | | | ||
| + | | Consultant | | | | | ||
| + | | Academic Program manager | | | | | ||
| - | ^ Milestone ^ Title ^ Comments ^ Due date ^ | ||
| - | | 1. | Finalize current proposal | | | | ||
| - | | 2. | Get funding commitments | | | | ||
| - | | 3. | UAV controller circuitry complete | | | | ||
| - | | 4. | UAV can receive instructions through wire to fly to GPS coordinates | | | | ||
| - | | 5. | Hook-up a camera system to the drone | | | | ||
| - | | 6. | Base station design complete | | | | ||
| - | | 7. | UAV can receive commands wirelesly | | | | ||
| - | | 8. | UAV can receive instrcutions from a central computer | | | | ||
| - | | 9. | UAV can land accurately to 20cm | | | | ||
| - | | 10. | UAV can charge wirelessly | | | | ||
| ===== Work breakdown ===== | ===== Work breakdown ===== | ||
| - | Milestones | + | Deliverables |
| - Finalize current proposal | - Finalize current proposal | ||
| * Finalize design requirements for first proposal | * Finalize design requirements for first proposal | ||
| Line 71: | Line 134: | ||
| * Finalize milestone list | * Finalize milestone list | ||
| - | ===== Design ===== | ||
| - | * Water proof for water crash? | ||
| - | * Find back in case of problems (sensor/signal) | ||
| - | * Wireless communication throughout flight to relocate it later on? | ||
| - | |||
| - | ==== Locating the drone after crash ==== | ||
| - | * The NRF24L01+ with antenna, PA and LNA (power amplifier and low noise amplifier) can have around 300-1000m range, we could use that to transmit the location of the drone in flight, so we know where it goes down. Disadvantage is it's bulk and probably larger battery requirement (and thus weight). We could also use it to keep sending the drone GPS coordinates out on 2.4GHz from the GPS module. See http://www.elecfreaks.com/wiki/index.php?title=2.4G_Wireless_nRF24L01p_with_PA_and_LNA. The price is good at around $15 for two modules. See http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-NRF24L01-PA-LNA-SMA-Antenna-Wireless-Transceiver-communication-module-2-4G-/111853679356 | ||
| - | * Loc8tor lite is a tag with locator that can find the tag back accurately from 122m: http://www.loc8tor.com/everyday/loc8tor-lite.html/ This would be good for the last little stretch in a forest, but costs $90. | ||
| - | * A complete, but expensive solution is from the Marco Polo locator at close to $300. http://eurekaproducts.com/product-category/buyrcmodelsystems/ | ||
| - | * A DIY telemetry kit with around 700m range (open field) is possible for around $20 as well. This seems a very good option right now. See https://quadmeup.com/diy-wireless-telemetry-link-for-uav/ | ||
| - | |||
| - | ==== Precision landing ==== | ||
| - | There is an irlock module available for precision landing. It is an IR sensor that centers the drone over a location. It is compatible with the dronecode/ardupilot suite of software. See http://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/precision-landing-with-irlock.html | ||
| - | |||
| - | ===== Materials ===== | ||
| - | |||
| - | ^ Item ^ Link ^ Quantity ^ Price (USD) ^ Total ^ | ||
| - | | Drone platform | | 1 | 0 | 0 | | ||
| - | | Drone locator (NRF24L01+ with PA and LNA) | http://www.elecfreaks.com/wiki/index.php?title=2.4G_Wireless_nRF24L01p_with_PA_and_LNA | 2 | 15 | 30 | | ||
| - | | Pixhawk Drone controllerboard/IMU with GPS | https://www.unmannedtechshop.co.uk/unmanned-pixhawk-autopilot-kit/ | 1 | 240 | 240 | | ||
| - | | HC-12 Wireless Serial Port Module | http://www.ebay.com/itm/433Mhz-HC-12-SI4463-Wireless-Serial-Port-Module-1000m-Replace-Bluetooth-Module-/131167660092 | 2 | 20 | 40 | | ||
| - | | Go-pro camera | | 1 | 0 | 0 | | ||
| - | | Li(ion/po) Batteries 3500mAh | | 6 | 8 | 48 | | ||
| - | | **Total** | | | | **358** | | ||
| ===== Interesting links ===== | ===== Interesting links ===== | ||
| Line 109: | Line 148: | ||
| * http://copter.ardupilot.org/ardupilot/index.html | * http://copter.ardupilot.org/ardupilot/index.html | ||
| * http://ardupilot.org/ardupilot/index.html | * http://ardupilot.org/ardupilot/index.html | ||
| + | * https://ultimaker.com/en/community/5549-how-weatherproof-is-pla | ||
| * https://docs.google.com/document/d/10MgFocP4nxi_uPrZQDXdhGncASnwSeg1XHiWnK9IcvI/edit?usp=sharing | * https://docs.google.com/document/d/10MgFocP4nxi_uPrZQDXdhGncASnwSeg1XHiWnK9IcvI/edit?usp=sharing | ||
