Skyr1t3r

Yes, it works!*

We strapped an Intel Edison running node.js to a Parrot AR Drone 2.0. The Edison is attached to an LED Module we constructed, which gives us the ability to render vibrant colors on an RGB LED as well as power ultra-bright 5mm white LEDs. We used the combination of the Edison, the LEDs, and the AR Drone, in addition to some javascript, to enable us to write things in the air using a camera set for a long exposure. The use of Edison and Node.js allow us to do this from anywhere in the world over the internet. The Edison connects over wifi to both the AR Drone as well as a computer--the Edison controls all movement of the AR Drone.

As a general note to the general public: it really irks people who know things about multicopters when people call them drones. Yes, Parrot does call their consumer quadcopter the "AR Drone," but they also say silly things like claiming to invent "absolute" mode, which has been around for a while on real flight controllers. The AR Drone is a pretty nice piece of consumer hardware, but it lacks a lot of things even a modest-grade hobbiest multicopter would have--brushless motors, for example. The PID tuning is clearly designed for people who don't know how to fly (for example, it way overcorrects back to level when one lets off the sticks). Also, don't buy a DJI Phantom. Forrest's personal saying regarding DJI is, "not everyone who flies DJI Phantoms are idiots, but every idiot flies a DJI Phantom." Anyway, back to the drone thing, just call it a multicopter. "Drone" is quickly becoming a sensationalized media term.

*Pretty Much

I'll bet this code would do something great:

$ cd your_repo_root/repo_name
$ git fetch origin
$ git checkout gh-pages

Team Selfies

This actually flies.

It makes pretty lines!

Baby, it's cold outside. Also the sun is rising.

This is what we were going for...

Another picture of our AR Drone flying.

One of our first flights

This one is super pretty

Datasheet is still in the works.

The Intel Edison powering our hack

We took some pretty pictures using an AR Drone.

Mason wonders, "what's this thing?"

This is actually a really pretty picture of the Philadelphia skyline!

This group picture sponsored by MySQL

It flies. It's 4 AM, I'm done with funny captions.

This group picture sponsored by Juniper Networks

In other news, the Skyr1t3r is confirmed to be 100% sprinkler-proof.

Authors and Contributors

Contributors to this project: Forrest Bourke (@fbourke:Music, moral support, and fonts), Saarth Mehrotra (@saarthmehrotra:Sass, gas, and swag), Mason del Rosario (@mdelrosa:Socks, shoes, and code), and Evan Dorsky (@enigmoid:Macbooks, iPhones, and VCRs).