Week of 1/19/15

Progress: There hasn't been much progress lately (see Problems section). We are still setting up the spiri simulator and the container is ready for printing, although that has not been done yet. However, we found an open source program called OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision)* that may be able to help with image recognition using the camera that is built into the Spiri, so that the drone can navigate throughout the school. The software seems to have an extensive library available in many languages, as well as a forum in which anyone can post questions and ask for help. This seems to be promising, but we need to try it out before we can determine if it is good enough for what we want.

Problems: Our group is not very well organized and the project is moving along very slowly. This is a major issue that we need to fix very soon.

Plan: In this coming week, we will print the container, fine-tune it, and hopefully finalize it so that the project can move along. Also, we will experiment with OpenCV to see whether is satisfies our needs or not. Furthermore, we hope to have the spiri simulator running sometime this week so we can start learning how it works and have a working demonstration of both the simulator and Gazebo by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, we will attempt to acquire the drone, and since the dev team is not responding, we may need to just buy it as soon as possible. Moreover, Gui will continue to learn the basics of SLAM on the side in case we need to turn to that option, but that would be an extreme case, because it is both difficult to learn and implement.

*OpenCV website: http://opencv.org/

Progress Report: Week of 12/18

Progress:

This week we focused primarily on integrating linux into our project. Linux is the operating system that the spiri drone runs on, so it is essential for the advancement of our project. So far we have figured out how to run linux on a mac computer. This can be done through a bootable usb drive. By putting the Linux disk image on a usb, we were able to boot directly from the drive by holding down the option key while the mac is starting up.  This has allowed us to work on mac computers instead of having to use the one linux computer that Elro has. Gui and Vasil watched many Gazebo tutorials on their website (http://gazebosim.org/tutorials).  Arianna Vetrano Sebastian worked on the container and tried to make it as light as possible by cutting out sections of the container that is not needed.  

Problems Solved:

Sebastian and Arianna solved the problem of how to make shave down the weight of the container so that we could increase the amount of things that could be carried during flight.

Lessons learned:

Arianna and Sebastian learned that we can make the container a bit lighter by adding holes to it since it is excess weight that really does not have any use.

Problems:

Connecting to wifi has been an issue for us because the schools wifi network is very difficult to connect to. Also, nothing on the linux computers are saved. This is because of the nature of the USB drive.

Drives must be configured to boot with persistence in order for basic files and inputs to be saved on the computer. We are still figuring out how to boot with persistence.

Plan:

Ben plans to download Linux onto a PC computer instead of using it on the Mac.  Gui and Vasil plan on continuing to learn Gazebo since that requires times and begin developing algorithms.  Arianna and Sebastian plans on printing out the cylindrical container and figuring out the more effect way of attaching it to the drone.  If we do not get a response from our correspondence by the time we get back to school, we will try calling them up.  We will need the Spiri as soon as possible.

12/11/14 Progress Report

Container
Progress:
 So far we have brainstormed multiple designs for the container.  Originally we were thinking of a cube-shaped box, however we realized such a container might not be the most practical for transporting paper. As of now we are sticking with a cylindrical shaped container where we can roll up papers without needing to fold and wrinkle them.  Although we have not yet received exact dimensions of the body of the drone, we were able to estimate them with measurements we do have.  Using these, we now can now get a better scene of size and have also begun to model the container on Sketchup.


Problems Solved:
After realizing that the top of the drone have ventilations, we needed to figure out a way to situate the container so that they would not be blocked. This week we solved the problem and decided to add stilts that will lift the cylindrical container up above the ventilations.  

Lessons learned:
One lesson we learned was that always think one step ahead.  We should have emailed the company and asked for specific questions such as the dimensions for the body so that what we are creating can be more precise.

Problems:
One problem we now face is how we will attach the stilts to the body of the drone.  During our group presentation, we received many helpful suggestions on how we can go about this.  Some suggestions include attached the silts to the USB port or the four screws (shown in the diagram below).  Another problem is that we still do not know have the drone so once we print out the container we cannot fully test it out. 

Plan:
Our plan for the next week is to print out our container and figure out a way we can attach the stilts to the drone.  In addition, we hope that our correspondence will get back to us with the papers so that we can get the drone.

Week of 12/01/14 Progress Report

       Progress: This week was an important week. We started learning about ROS, which will be useful when we need to program the drone, and we designed a possible container for our drone. However, the most important part of this week was contacting the developers of the Spiri. We were able to email them our questions and tell them about our project, and judging from their answer, they seem eager and willing to help us with our project in hopes of creating more " educational partnerships." They offered us a discount on the drone, which helps with our budget problem, and they offered technical support whenever we need it. They also published all of the information that we needed about Spiri (including the Spiri data sheet) and a simulator for its API, which will be very useful to us while we wait for the Spiri to arrive.
      Problems Solved: One of the major problems that we solved was the budget, which the Spiri developers helped with by offering a discount. We were also able to distribute more tasks among ourselves, which will hopefully speed up the project a little bit.
      Lessons Learned: We learned that communication is very important. By finally contacting the Spiri developers, we realized that our project could move along much faster with their help. Luckily, they are willing to help, and so it is crucial to maintain contact with them from now until the project is complete.
      Problem: The main problem right now is that it is taking a while to learn ROS. It seems to be a little complicated and advanced, and it will certainly delay our project a little bit. We are also working on trying to get a simulator for ROS. Possible candidates for software that we might use are a program called Webots and the Spiri simulator.
      Plan: In order to counterattack the delay that was caused by ROS, we put 3 people responsible for learning it, while the other 2 members of the group take care of any other task that relates to the drone. This will hopefully make learning ROS a little faster.

Sources to learn ROS:
1. http://wiki.ros.org/
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WyuAZ1SuTI&index=1&list=PL3064BF19A4F4CD1F

Week of 11/17/14 Progress Report

      This week was focused, again, on research. Since choosing our drone we have discovered that we need to learn more about its operating system and how we are going to be able to program it, so we started learning about ROS (Robot Operating System) using this document: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~todd/cs378/slides/Week8a.pdf.
  We also took it upon ourselves to learn more about the drone that we chose and its components. We used this website to accomplish this task: http://linuxgizmos.com/linux-powered-quadrocoptor-has-three-cameras/
Moreover, we started looking more into wireless charging, because we believe that it can be much more efficient in out project if we charge the drone wirelessly instead of having it dock at a station every few minutes to recharge. The following 2 websites were used to research wireless charging: http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/technology/magnetic-resonance-and-magnetic-induction-making-the-right-choice-for-your-application.html
http://powerbyproxi.com/wireless-charging/
       We also completed the system architecture for our project. It describes how every component of the project is related and will hopefully be useful to us in the future when we really start developing the project. Also, we started developing the system block diagrams in order to explore different paths to accomplish our ultimate goal, which is to have an efficient and easy to use drone delivery system. Those diagrams are not complete, but they will be in the coming days.
        However, our project did encounter some obstacles. First, when we chose the drone, we only considered its use for our project and failed to take into account the price. While it is not over our budget, it does come close to our limit. It is now priced at around $900.00. Our plan to solve this issue is to find parts that we could make ourselves with the 3D printer, such as the protective ribbons that can be ordered with the drone, thus reducing the cost and allowing us to tailor these parts to our own liking/need.
        Our other problem, and perhaps the most important, is the fact that we are behind schedule. By now, we should already be designing our project and starting to develop it, as shown in the gantt chart*. Ideally, in a couple of weeks, we would start designing the algorithm, but at this rate, it might be tough to do that. Our plan is now to break up the tasks that still need to be done into smaller, more manageable portions, and then distribute them between group members so that they can be done more quickly. Hopefully, if our plan works, we should be within our schedule in 3, maybe 4 weeks.

        Link to Progress Report Presentation: https://docs.google.com/a/erhsnyc.net/presentation/d/1MeY274P74Ll9ivr7eyqvbRyb9BDD5HLxfVg7-sqmIxE/edit?usp=sharing

*I know the gantt chart is hard to see, but we ran into some technical difficulties with the software and could not get a better image.

Sensors and More Drone Information

This weeks work was focused on finalizing our decision for the drone we want to use. In the end we decided to take Spiri over the other drones, simply because of its open source platform. We spent additional time looking at and analyzing dimensions, sensors and properties of the drone we selected. We gathered some information from outside sources on the performance and ability of the Spiri. The work done this week was very similar to last weeks, but we focused more on the abilities of the sensors of the Spiri. These are some of the sources for our information:

1. http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/aerial-robots/spiri-programmable-quadrotor-drone-kickstarter
2. http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1147707-flying-robot-developer-plans-spring-launch-of-spiri
3. http://www.hackthings.com/meet-spiri-your-autonomous-and-social-creature-that-flies/
4. http://www.gizmag.com/spiri-quadrotor-drone/28700/
5. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/914887915/spiri?ref=nav_search
6. http://pleiades.ca/about/

A very significant part of our research is going to be on ROS (Robot Operating System) because it will provide the basis for our design and development of the algorithm. On separate note, the other time of the week was spent researching the capabilities of the sensors on board.

1. GPS - Can be used for a variety of things when it comes to keeping track of positioning. To be more specific, the drone will be able to be guided anywhere in school with up to 3.5 to 4 meters accuracy. Now this is not a small distance by any chance, but instead for full on coordination with GPS, it will be used partially to set waypoints/end destinations/docks/etc.
2. 9 axis IMU - Essentially can be used for anything force related when it comes to sensors. It probably wont play a major part in the algorithm, but will serve as safety precaution when it comes to emergencies. A page with PLENTY of intimation can be found here. Basically explains the basics of gyroscopes and accelerators. http://www.starlino.com/imu_guide.html
3. Ultrasonic Sensor - In the case of Spiri, this sensor is located on the bottom of the drone so its major purpose will be to detect height and changes in height. The major benefit of this sensor being on the bottom is that it will extremely useful for docking/parking at pre-launch or landing. 
4. Cameras - By far the most important tool the drone contains. The Spiri comes with 3 different cameras that can film at 1080pi at 30fps. These stereoscopic cameras can be used for a variety of different functions when it comes to sensing the surroundings. First this video provided the basis for what exactly "stereoscopic" means when it comes to cameras and lenses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOnqoC-dJcg Additionally, the cameras would be extremely useful in the field of Computer Vision. Using this technique, we can analyze points on the wall to create a dynamic path to the designation. A video that I watched was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=715uLCHt4jE. It explains in depth the basics of computer vision. I will continue to watch the later lectures as well. 

In summary, advances were made in the research of sensors and how they can be used for our purposes. More research is going to be conducted on more advanced methods for maneuvering in 3D space. From here we begin our design for the algorithm along with the possible ways of its implementation. 

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.