Solo Development Area

I am currently working on some of my own projects (early stages) but here are some others that I have found that may be interesting.

Official User Manual for 3DR Solo(Highly Recommended):
Solo User Manual | 3DR | Drone & UAV Technology

Official 3DR Solo Development:
Introduction | 3DR Solo Development Guide

Open Source Projects used by 3DR:
Open-Source Components | 3DR | Drone & UAV Technology

Beginner's guide to Dronekit:
Idiot’s Guide To DroneKit-Python: A Journey To WHOZ CHILLIN | Daniel D. McKinnon

Dronekit Github Repo:
DroneKit · GitHub

Tower-Web:
GitHub - dronekit/tower-web: Example HTML5-based GCS built on Dronekit. Runs on desktops via Electron.

Target Landing (Using OpenCV to visually land on a moving target):
- https://github.com/squilter/target-land
- Demo Video

Realtime Earth:
GitHub - tcr3dr/demo-realtimeearth: Realtime Earth

DronePan Solo (Easily make a 360 degree panorama):
- GitHub - dbaldwin/DronePan-Solo: DronePan 360 Panorama Android App for 3DR Solo
- Hugin is currently the best open source software I found to stitch the images together. Please let me know if you find a better free alternative.

Horus - An Interactive Tool for Designing Quadrotor Camera Shots:
Horus: An Interactive Tool for Designing Quadrotor Camera Shots
GitHub - stanford-gfx/Horus: An Interactive Tool for Designing Quadrotor Camera Shots. Presented at SIGGRAPH Asia 2015.

How to stream Solo video (This will become obsolete soon once 3DR adds an API to handle this but for now this will do):
Post 1
Post 2

3DR Solo Official Kernel Source Code:
GitHub - 3drobotics/imx6-linux: Linux kernel for the i.mx6 boards

libsolocam.so Source Code:
solocam.c · GitHub
libsolocam.so supports only 720p grayscale · Issue #255 · 3drobotics/solodevguide · GitHub

VPU API:
GitHub - Freescale/libimxvpuapi: i.MX VPU API Library

Malicious Hacking (An emphasis on how important it is to keep your Solo secure):
- GitHub - hotelzululima/3DRSoloHacks: Want to play a few pranks on a 3dr Solo user?
- GitHub - MAVProxyUser/3DRSoloHacks: Want to play a few pranks on a 3dr Solo user?

Spooky - Wireless Distributed State Estimation of multiple tracked subjects:
GitHub - njoubert/spooky: Spooky is a system for Wireless Distributed State Estimation of multiple tracked subjects (mainly people and quadrotors), and control of multiple quadrotors, in a large-scale outdoor environment. It exposes an API using JSON over UDP for receiving state estimates of a multi-person multi-quadrotor system, and an API for quadrotor position control. Spooky supports the 3DRobotics Solo quadrotor, and provides custom hardware for person tracking. Named after the Quantum Entanglement phenomenon.

3DR Solo Github Projects:
Build software better, together

Sparse information about ArduPilot:
Includes information about installing a custom firmware for the PixHawk2 as well as brief general information about other controller modes.
3DR Solo (Developer Information) — Dev documentation
 
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Below has nothing to do with the Solo but would love to see implemented eventually.

Predator - Live Object Tracking with Self Learning algorithm
This impressive algorithm can handle objects that rotate or hide behind other objects in the scene. It MAY be what the P4 is using.
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Source:
http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/projects/predator/
Actual Source Code:
GitHub - zk00006/OpenTLD: Official source code for TLD
Author's page:
TLD | Zdenek Kalal


A very old but rough example of using a visual Follow Me as opposed to GPS Follow Me
GitHub - dronekit/visual-followme
 
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I am currently working on some of my own projects (early stages) but here are some others that I have found that may be interesting.

Official 3DR Solo Development:
Introduction | 3DR Solo Development Guide

Beginner's guide to Dronekit:
Idiot’s Guide To DroneKit-Python: A Journey To WHOZ CHILLIN | Daniel D. McKinnon

Dronekit Github Repo:
DroneKit · GitHub

Tower-Web:
GitHub - dronekit/tower-web: Example HTML5-based GCS built on Dronekit. Runs on desktops via Electron.

Target Landing (Using OpenCV to visually land on a moving target):
- https://github.com/squilter/target-land
- Demo Video

DronePan Solo (Easily make a 360 degree panorama):
- GitHub - dbaldwin/DronePan-Solo: DronePan 360 Panorama Android App for 3DR Solo
- Hugin is currently the best open source software I found to stitch the images together. Please let me know if you find a better free alternative.

How to stream Solo video (This will become obsolete soon once 3DR adds an API to handle this but for now this will do):
Post 1
Post 2

Malicious Hacking (An emphasis on how important it is to keep your Solo secure):
- GitHub - hotelzululima/3DRSoloHacks: Want to play a few pranks on a 3dr Solo user?
- GitHub - MAVProxyUser/3DRSoloHacks: Want to play a few pranks on a 3dr Solo user?

3DR Solo Github Projects:
Build software better, together

Outstanding Post
 
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agreed
Dronekit is about to take off (sorry for the pun)
there will be multiple efforts, a new section would be really nice.

To me this is a major key for any pixhawk based community. It is what will set it apart
 
Actually, this thread is a trial to see if there is a need for a new board. If it takes off, it'll eventually turn into a board. :)

If all goes well, it'll become similar to the dev boards on XDA where it's a central location for all things development related.
 
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Can the Solo Controller be used in a X8+? Can it control 8 motors?
 
No Solo is Wifi and uses solo link to the onboard computer in solo
the x8+ uses a traditional RC radio
 
No Solo is Wifi and uses solo link to the onboard computer in solo
the x8+ uses a traditional RC radio
Sorry I did not phrase that correctly, if one were to take the solo board out of the solo body and replaced the pixhawk in the X8 with the solo and components, would this be able to flight control 8-motors? One would gain the smart shot functionality in a greater lift cap. frame.
I saw a video of someone moving solo flight controller into a different frame but cant seem to find it again.
 
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This is really a WIP, lots to do and many different paths to follow, so don't get your hopes up.

I guess by now everyone has seen the DJI/Flir "collaboration" that grafts a Flir thermal camera to a DJI Drone.
Pretty sweet, but costs a whole bunch.
I think there is a much lower cost way.
Since Flir introduced the Flir One (gen 2) for Android, I've been working with a few other folks to get that camera working under Linux.
Question about FLIR One for Android - Page 5
This camera is only 160 x120 pixels, but it is also only $US250. It could be useful in an SAR situation where ANY thermal camera is better than no thermal camera.
The original thought was to interface the camera directly to Solo via the break out board's USB (Solo Breakout Board & connectors), and use v4l2loopback along with the driver. Unfortunately 3DR has changed the kernel from the one they released v4l2loopback.ko and as a consequence it won't load. I've poked at 3DR about this and the result was they removed the part of the developer's guide that talked about the video pipeline.;>(
I'm a bit reluctant to embark on an effort to completely replace the software stack on the Solo, so ----> "Plan B"

Plan B adds a single board computer stacked on top of the break out board and takes the thermal image, the visible light image and using gstreamer combines them into a 720P HDMI output which I then feed into the GoPro port. This works surprisingly well, as can be seen in the picture.
My hope was to have this flying by mid April, but I'm not sure it's going to happen due to toooo many other things on my stack.

Plan C results when Plan B's SBC is too bleeding edge and the HDMI doesn't quite work yet.

Status:
Plan A: waiting for 3DR to get off their butts.
Plan B: waiting for working HDMI code, maybe another month or two.
Plan C: some startup issues need resolving so the board will power up in the proper state and run the driver and gstreamer pipeline without manual intervention. Power supply testing and mounting to Solo a WIP.

The Solo's companion computer is fully capable of running the thermal camera driver and gstreamer pipeline. The trick is to get v4l2loopback.ko for the kernel version that 3dr is shipping.

The other issue I've got is that none of my android devices will record to the camera roll. So, I don't have anything other than picture of the running 3dr app with my thermal video.
The other pix of the Solo with the attached camera are fuzzy by design. As soon as this is flying, there will be more detail and details.
 

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This is really a WIP, lots to do and many different paths to follow, so don't get your hopes up.

I guess by now everyone has seen the DJI/Flir "collaboration" that grafts a Flir thermal camera to a DJI Drone.
Pretty sweet, but costs a whole bunch.
I think there is a much lower cost way.
Since Flir introduced the Flir One (gen 2) for Android, I've been working with a few other folks to get that camera working under Linux.
Question about FLIR One for Android - Page 5
This camera is only 160 x120 pixels, but it is also only $US250. It could be useful in an SAR situation where ANY thermal camera is better than no thermal camera.
The original thought was to interface the camera directly to Solo via the break out board's USB (Solo Breakout Board & connectors), and use v4l2loopback along with the driver. Unfortunately 3DR has changed the kernel from the one they released v4l2loopback.ko and as a consequence it won't load. I've poked at 3DR about this and the result was they removed the part of the developer's guide that talked about the video pipeline.;>(
I'm a bit reluctant to embark on an effort to completely replace the software stack on the Solo, so ----> "Plan B"

Plan B adds a single board computer stacked on top of the break out board and takes the thermal image, the visible light image and using gstreamer combines them into a 720P HDMI output which I then feed into the GoPro port. This works surprisingly well, as can be seen in the picture.
My hope was to have this flying by mid April, but I'm not sure it's going to happen due to toooo many other things on my stack.

Plan C results when Plan B's SBC is too bleeding edge and the HDMI doesn't quite work yet.

Status:
Plan A: waiting for 3DR to get off their butts.
Plan B: waiting for working HDMI code, maybe another month or two.
Plan C: some startup issues need resolving so the board will power up in the proper state and run the driver and gstreamer pipeline without manual intervention. Power supply testing and mounting to Solo a WIP.

The Solo's companion computer is fully capable of running the thermal camera driver and gstreamer pipeline. The trick is to get v4l2loopback.ko for the kernel version that 3dr is shipping.

The other issue I've got is that none of my android devices will record to the camera roll. So, I don't have anything other than picture of the running 3dr app with my thermal video.
The other pix of the Solo with the attached camera are fuzzy by design. As soon as this is flying, there will be more detail and details.
I don't speak your language but are you saying you can't stream live video from the IR camera like the GoPro?
 
No, I can stream video from a GoPro or my Thermal Camera setup, I just can't record that stream on my Android tablet. (can't record my GoPro either)
I can record it with my wife's iPhone, so it's something wonky with my Android device(s). Not really an issue for me, it would just be nice for that to work. Lots of other things to fiddle with on this project, so I'm not worried.
 
No, I can stream video from a GoPro or my Thermal Camera setup, I just can't record that stream on my Android tablet. (can't record my GoPro either)
I can record it with my wife's iPhone, so it's something wonky with my Android device(s). Not really an issue for me, it would just be nice for that to work. Lots of other things to fiddle with on this project, so I'm not worried.
@cynfab If you use android. I can help you to record automatically your 'Texture View' or 'Surface View' from your app directly to your gallery. It's not hard at all.
 
No, I can stream video from a GoPro or my Thermal Camera setup, I just can't record that stream on my Android tablet. (can't record my GoPro either)
I can record it with my wife's iPhone, so it's something wonky with my Android device(s). Not really an issue for me, it would just be nice for that to work. Lots of other things to fiddle with on this project, so I'm not worried.
I have the same problem- can't record to Nexus 7 but can to iPad mini 3.

I would be very interested in a usable, inexpensive FLIR camera for Solo for SAR, maybe even law enforcement.
 
I have the same problem- can't record to Nexus 7 but can to iPad mini 3.

I would be very interested in a usable, inexpensive FLIR camera for Solo for SAR, maybe even law enforcement.
My Nexus 7 records fine. Probably not HW related then.
 

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