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Case study

Autonomous Drone

Flight-controller-based drone with waypoint autonomy and telemetry logging.

Flight ControllersC/C++Networking ProtocolsPID Tuning
Waypoint accuracy
±1.5m (GPS-only)
Telemetry range
~800m
Failsafe response
<2s to RTH trigger

Problem

Needed reliable autonomous waypoint navigation on a budget flight controller stack, with a telemetry link resilient enough for beyond-line-of-sight status monitoring in an open field.

Stack

  • ArduPilot/Betaflight-class FC
  • MAVLink telemetry
  • GPS + barometer + IMU fusion
  • Ground station (Python)

Architecture

Autonomous Drone system architecture: IMU and GPS sensors providing orientation, position, and velocity, a flight controller running a PID stabilization loop, waypoint navigation for autonomous route planning, motor/ESC output driving four motors via PWM, and telemetry logging streamed to the ground.

Outcome

Tuned PID gains and failsafe geofencing achieved stable autonomous waypoint runs with automatic return-to-home on link loss, validated over repeated field tests.

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