They promised us flying automobiles, as a substitute we obtained flying umbrellas. That’s not the long run we had in thoughts once we seemed forward in years previous, however in case you take it for what it’s, it’s fairly cool. In spite of everything, who needs to hold on to an umbrella to keep away from getting soaked by the rain? Meaning one-handed typing in your cellphone and juggling your groceries, all whereas making an attempt to maintain the cover centered over your head.
Putting in the Raspberry Pi within the flight controller (đŸ“·: I Construct Stuff)
YouTuber I Construct Stuff designed and constructed a flying umbrella two years in the past, nevertheless it was extra of a gimmick than the rest. The one solution to preserve the umbrella over your head was to make use of a distant management, which takes each of your fingers and much more cognitive effort than holding an umbrella deal with. Nevertheless, I Construct Stuff saved this venture behind his thoughts since that point, and lately determined to complete the job of constructing it sensible.
The brand new model runs a pc imaginative and prescient algorithm onboard to acknowledge the highest of the proprietor’s head. This info is communicated to a flight controller that retains the umbrella centered over that place. When not in use, the complete system folds up, very like a standard umbrella, in order that it may well come indoors.
To make this concept a actuality, I Construct Stuff 3D-printed a central hub that attaches to the pole of an umbrella. 4 arms connect to this hub and lengthen out within the 4 cardinal instructions. Drone motors and propellers are connected to the top of every arm, simply outdoors the attain of the cover. When not in use, these arms can fold down.
A check flight earlier than set up of the umbrella (đŸ“·: I Construct Stuff)
On the {hardware} aspect, a Pixhawk flight controller with a slot for a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 was chosen. That is related to an Arducam Time-of-Flight digicam, which emits gentle reasonably than merely detecting ambient gentle, to seize downward-facing pictures of the proprietor’s head. Utilizing this as a substitute of a standard digicam makes a variety of sense, as most cameras don’t seize good pictures below the kind of low-light circumstances which are discovered beneath an umbrella on a wet day. The pictures are processed on the Raspberry Pi by an algorithm that detects the placement of a head. That info drives the actions of the flying umbrella by way of the flight controller.
The look forward to flying automobiles shouldn’t be but over, however at the least we now have autonomous flying robots that may preserve us dry now. Try the video under to see the flying umbrella in motion.