PX4 autopilot is an open-source
autopilot
An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...
system oriented toward inexpensive
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
aircraft.
Low cost and availability enable hobbyist use in small
remotely piloted aircraft
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...
. The project started in 2009 and is being further developed and used at Computer Vision and Geometry Lab of
ETH Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, a ...
(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and supported by the Autonomous Systems Lab and the Automatic Control Laboratory. Several vendors are currently producing PX4 autopilots and accessories.
Overview
An autopilot allows a remotely-piloted
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. ...
to be flown out of sight. All
hardware
Hardware may refer to:
Technology Computing and electronics
* Electronic hardware, interconnected electronic components which perform analog or logic operations
** Digital electronics, electronics that operate on digital signals
*** Computer hard ...
and software is
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
and freely available to anyone under a
BSD
The Berkeley Software Distribution or Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) is a discontinued operating system based on Research Unix, developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Be ...
license. Users can modify the autopilot based on their own special requirements.
The
open-source software
Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software and its source code to anyone and for any purpose. Ope ...
suite contains everything to let airborne system fly including:
* QGroundControl and MAVLink Micro Air Vehicle Communication Protocol
* 2D/3D aerial maps (with Google Earth support)
* Drag-and-drop waypoints
Other
open-source robotics
Open-source robotics (OSR) is where the physical artifacts of the subject are offered by the open design movement. This branch of robotics makes use of open-source hardware and free and open-source software providing blueprints, schematics, and ...
projects similar to PX4 include:
* the
paparazzi Project
*
ArduPilot
ArduPilot is an open source, unmanned vehicle Autopilot Software Suite, capable of controlling autonomous:
*Multirotor drones
*Fixed-wing and VTOL aircraft
*Helicopters
*Ground rovers
*Boats
*Submarines
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraf ...
*
Slugs
Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a sm ...
*
OpenPilot
Supported hardware
For an up-to-date and complete list of the hardware supported by the PX4 Autopilot, visit thei
"Compatible Hardware"website.
See also
*
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...
*
Micro air vehicle
A micro air vehicle (MAV), or micro aerial vehicle, is a class of miniature UAVs that has a size restriction and may be autonomous. Modern craft can be as small as 5 centimeters. Development is driven by commercial, research, government, and mi ...
References
External links
PX4 HomepageDronecode Homepage
Avionics
Aircraft instruments
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Free software
Open-source hardware
Software using the BSD license
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