Intel Do-It-Yourself Challenge :

Lets build an autonomous drone

Paul Guermonprez

www.Intel-Software-Academic-Program.com
paul.guermonprez@intel.com
Intel Software
2013-10-20

Civil drones are fun !

Civil drones are fun !

Most students I meet would like to work with drones
Its flying ! Fast ! At last a student project that ends with a
cool internet video !

If youre a researcher, chances are you could invent

very innovative use cases with drones
New ways to measure pollution ?
Improve agriculture ?
Transport in large cities ?
Civil drones can help !

But
Drones are expansive
or very small.

Most civil drones today are remotely controlled

and not very smart. Drones would need a good
embedded computer to fly autonomously.

Its extremely challenging to build a smart drone

requires expertise in hardware, software, electronics,
flying, electrical engineering.

What if ?
Intel could find the perfect embedded computer ?
smart enough to perform tasks, imagine recognition, access
internet over 3G, get info from sensors and GPS.
But small, light and battery efficient.

Intel could assemble all the parts ?

wings, motors, electronics to control servos, and software
required to link everything.

Intel could provide all the hardware ?

for free.

Intel Do-It-Yourself Challenge :

Lets build an autonomous drone !

Intel Do It Yourself Challenge

We provide the hw+sw ingredients
you develop your own project from the kit.

We provide 20 kits for 20 universities

20 universities from all over the world can collaborate to
solve this challenge with a common platform kit.

Intel Do It Yourself Challenge

Lets build an autonomous drone together !
Totally autonomous flight.
Intel computer embedded in the drone.
Smart features : computer vision, artificial intelligence,
geography, complex sensor fusion.

You invent a civilian usage model for the drone

Search and rescue ? Agriculture optimization ?
Logistics ? its up to you.

Ingredients

Intel embedded computer

Intel based android device

Its small (+/-120gr), with a great atom processor, has GPS,

physical sensors, 2 cameras, storage, 3G internet, battery ...

Its a phone, used as embedded computer !

Why reinvent the perfect embedded computer ?

Programming on Android is easy. The hardware is available
in large quantities, worldwide, at the right price.

Huge potential

Image analysis libraries, internet access, accelerometers,

storage ... and a lot of computing power to spare.

The wing and trike

Paramotor
Paramotor = paragliding sail + motor.
We work with Opale paramotor models.
Why a paramotor ?
It can carry a lot of weight over long distances, the AI for
the flight is easy to develop and the safety solution is to
glide slowly to the ground in circles (motor off).

Electronics
Pololu Maestro

To control the servos and propulsion from the intel android

device, we selected a Pololu Maestro board. (12 EUR value)

USB or bluetooth

The connection can be done

with a USB host cable or with
a serial over bluetooth card.

Nothing else

The servo controller card is doing

nothing else, all the intelligence
is on the android device.

Software
Servo control app

We provide a basic android app to show how to control servos

and propulsion. You can start from this code.

Remote control over internet

As the embedded device is 3G internet capable, we are providing

an android app to remotely control the drone (with remote
vision) to show how the drone can easily interact over internet.

Perceptual remote control

The perceptual camera is an cheap infrared capable USB camera

used to detect hand gestures and body movements.
We developed a windows app to remotely control the drone
using gestures (the exact gesture a pilot would use).
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPE332rX5Yc

Want to participate ?

20 kits available
Who ?

We are looking for 20 universities with highly

motivated students and professors to work
on this challenge together.
Its a long term effort, several students teams
will work on this drone, this year and in the
next years for each university.

Where ? When ?

Most kits will be distributed in

Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa.
Distribution : October 2013-June 2014.
Development : September 2013-no end date.
Note : Kits are free. Just add (free) software.

Contact
Questions ?
Feedback ?
Want to participate ?
Send me an email !
Paul.Guermonprez@intel.com

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