Crazyflie 2.0 quadrotor as a platform for research and education in robotics and control engineering

In this paper a Crazyflie 2.0 nano quadrotor helicopter (quadcopter) as an open source experimental platform for research and education in robotics and control engineering has been presented. This low cost, easily expandable and upgradeable flying robot is here characterized in terms of hardware and software. Three aspects, which demonstrate the potential of broad use of this unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by researchers and students, are discussed in the paper. The first one is an acquisition of measurement data from test flights by the proposed, freely available “black-box” software. The second is the use of a new, advanced 4FLY Simulator in order to utilize the MATLAB
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/Simulink environment to easily implement a mathematical model of Crazyflie 2.0 dynamics, as well as for a synthesis of various types of controllers with support of OpenGL cross-language in the visualization of simulations results. The 4FLYSimulator allows to test autonomous flights (and landings) with obstacles avoidance and to conduct learning and teaching the basics of Crazyflie 2.0 piloting. In the third aspect the authors outlined promising, preliminary results obtained in control of flying robot by pointing device (positioner) and with the support of a vision system, which basis only on a single Kinect sensor.