They promised us flying vehicles, as an alternative we bought flying umbrellas. That’s not the longer term we had in thoughts once we regarded forward in years previous, however if you happen to take it for what it’s, it’s fairly cool. In any case, who desires 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 (📷: I Construct Stuff)
YouTuber I Construct Stuff designed and constructed a flying umbrella two years in the past, but it surely was extra of a gimmick than anything. The one strategy to preserve the umbrella over your head was to make use of a distant management, which takes each of your palms and much more cognitive effort than holding an umbrella deal with. Nevertheless, I Construct Stuff stored this venture at the back of his thoughts since that point, and just 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 data is communicated to a flight controller that retains the umbrella centered over that place. When not in use, your complete system folds up, very like a conventional umbrella, in order that it will probably 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 prolong out within the 4 cardinal instructions. Drone motors and propellers are hooked up to the tip of every arm, simply exterior the attain of the cover. When not in use, these arms can fold down.
A check flight earlier than set up of the umbrella (📷: I Construct Stuff)
On the {hardware} facet, 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 digital camera, which emits mild relatively than merely detecting ambient mild, to seize downward-facing photographs of the proprietor’s head. Utilizing this as an alternative of a conventional digital camera makes numerous sense, as most cameras don’t seize good photographs beneath the kind of low-light circumstances which might be discovered beneath an umbrella on a wet day. The photographs are processed on the Raspberry Pi by an algorithm that detects the placement of a head. That data drives the actions of the flying umbrella by way of the flight controller.
The anticipate flying vehicles shouldn’t be but over, however not less than now we have autonomous flying robots that may preserve us dry now. Try the video beneath to see the flying umbrella in motion.