Selected Drone and Sensor Analysis

This week was heavily focused on researching drones that could be implemented in our project without going off task. Initially, we looked for prices and eliminated the ones that were over our budget, because regardless of their specifications, they were out of reach. Next we analyzed their sensors, flight time, size, work load and if they were programmable through an already established API. Some of the drones were eliminated because of the prices, straight out. However, some did not make the cut because they lacked the necessary sensors and/or platform for programming. The 9 drones included the Parrot Beebop Drone, the DJI, the IRIS, the Storm Drone 4, the Quanum Nova, the HEXO+, the Spreading Wings WooKong-M, the Phenox and the Spiri. Individually, Gui and I focused on researching the Spiri and Phenox. Arianna spent time researching the Quanum Nova, the HEXO+ and the Storm Drone 4. Sebastian spent his research time on the Parrot Bebop Drone and on the DJI. Lastly, Ben did very extensive analysis of the IRIS. In conclusion, we determined the Spiri to be the most suitable for our project, at least at the current state. It provides an open source programmable environment, has an array of sensors and cameras and also seems stable and reliable. The second drone that was very close to getting picked was the IRIS. It was by the far the largest drone with lengths of 21 inches from motor to motor. The IRIS is able to carry nearly 4 times as much material as the SPIRI, but is rather bulky and large. This being the sole reason we did not pick it. The idea here is to start out small. Once we know its doable at a smaller scale, it could easily be implemented with more advanced and heavy weigh drones.

Decided to take this drone was not easy and the decision itself came with a lot of problems and questions. Initially we needed to determine the load the drone was to carry, regardless of what model it is. Carrying important documents or pens is not a big deal, but having to take a stack of papers could be problematic. It was a hard decision to make because the SPIRI provided a wider arrangement of tools for programming, even with its lower load. The IRIS mentioned vague information on its sensory system, things along the line of "automatic avoidance of obstacles" or "returning to start position". This provided no solid information on whether we can design algorithms and upload them. The price consideration was also another problem. We did not want to take more expensive drones  for the sake of their price. If something was cheaper and functioned better for our needs, it would be more valuable.

Starting with next week, we are going begin researching how to use the sensors attached to our selected drone in the most efficient way. This will include ultra sonic range finders, infrared sensors, accelerometers, altitude sensors and other IMU's that are specific to the drone. We will also spend time learning about methods using the camera for a sensor, and how it could be used for positioning in 3D space. We want to make sure that the sensors that are coming with drone are absolutely acceptable for the job we need to do. In general, I think spending time researching the right drone will lead to more efficient developments in the future.