Integration of ArduPilot and VIO tracking camera (Part 3): Indoor autonomous flights and performance tests

Blog
8

@LuckyBird ,does drone avoided obstacles in same setup you tested ???

9

I believe you also ask the same question on this post? Integration of ArduPilot and VIO tracking camera (Part 2): Complete installation and indoor non-GPS flights
Keep the discussion in one place would be easier for others to follow.

10

Hello LuckyBird

Could the VIO tracking camera be used for path recording and a sort of teach and repeat for drones?

Thanks. Regards.

Andrea

11

Hi Andrea,

The VIO tracking camera itself does not provide those features. Here’s a detailed description of what it can and cannot do.
Of course, you can use it as a localization and raw data sensor for the software that can provide the things you are looking for, for example this Teach-Repeat-Replan work from HKUST.

Hope this helps.

12

Hi @LuckyBird I’m new to this and I’m currently working on flying the drone indoor autonomously. As of now, the intel realsense T265 looks like a good alternative and I’m planning to get this to start working with my project. I have a pixhawk 4 flight controller and raspberry pi 4 as my other pieces of hardware. Any piece of advise? My goal is to fly the drone indoors autonomously to achieve inventory scanning inside a warehouse.

13

Hi @gauravshukla914, sorry for the late reply. I suggest to start with Randy’s detailed blog post that is almost exactly the same setup as yours: Easier setup for Intel RealSense T265

14

Thanks @LuckyBird. I’ll check that. But I could still use these scripts right of python? I mean sending waypoints through python?

15

Yes, the other parts should work fine. You might want to separate the waypoints and other parts when testing to make sure each part works.

16

Hi @LuckyBird . Another question - I have currently installed the latest apsync image provided by Randy i.e Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS. For the installation of librealsense, its redirecting me to the installation page of librealsense on Ubuntu 16.04. Will these installation steps work for Ubunti 18.04 as well?

17

I believe the installation on Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04 differs mostly on the dependencies etc. Anyway, following the official instructions is always recommended: https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/installation.md

18

@LuckyBird I believe, the official instruction is not for RPI running ubuntu. Currently, I have an RPI 4 running ubuntu 18.04.4 (latest apsync image provided by Randy).

19

I see. In that case I can only say you need to try them out and see what actually works. And if you don’t mind, comment your experience on @rmackay9’s blog post for other to follow up on would be greatly appreciated.

20

Hello,

I’m using python+dronekit with GUIDED_NOGPS mode to control the FCU over MavLink.
I now have the T265 and would like to add it so I get better stability. With the T265 installed, Can I switch to GUIDED mode and tell the Ardupilot to use VIO while I sent it movement commands over dronekit/MavLink?

Thanks,
Raz

21

Hello @LuckyBird
Great project!
I am doing almost the same (Indoor Flight) but in my case, I am using PX4 and QGroundControl. I have seen the code for flying the drone and I have simulated it into Gazebo but it is not simulating it’s only arming the vehicle and not takeoff. Any suggestion I will appreciate.

22

Hi @DiegoHerrera1890,

It’s hard to say what the problem is given the scarce information. My suggestion is to verify that everything is done correctly according to PX4 wiki (https://docs.px4.io/master/en/simulation/gazebo.html). Following hands-on guide (for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zEddRFbMvQ) can be a good starting point.

24

I have upload in detail the issue I am facing here, May you please help me?

25

You are running on PX4 firmware , there is not much we can do unless you switch to ArduPilot

26

We have been successful to set this up and get it running OK, including right clicking in Mission Planner and selecting “Fly to Here”. Our problem is how to generate and run and indoor flight plan. We tried using the traditional MP flight plan that defines GPS coordinates and (we assumed) Ardupilot would treat these as vector references from the EKF home point. But the copter just wanted to auto land every time we switched to Auto mode on the Tx.
Any input is appreciated.

27

@LuckyBird any comment on this question? Can I use GUIDED mode and tell the Ardupilot to use VIO while I sent it movement commands over MavLink messages? Do I need to choose GUIDED_NOGPS ? will it still use the T265 pose data?

I’m trying to program an indoor autonomous drone with setup similar to what you described here.

Thanks,
Raz

28

@Raz_St you can use either GUIDED or GUIDED_NOGPS mode to command the vehicle. As long as the data from the T265 is ready and reliable setting up an indoor autonomous mission should work.

But keep in mind that the T265 might not always work reliably (sometimes the data doesn’t make sense, but there is still data) so having fallback measures (optical flow + rangefinder for indoor flight) is always recommended.