Autonomous Systems Projects
Explore guided student projects in Autonomous Systems. Build hands-on skills with real aerospace tools and data.
6 projects
Combine with other filters →Drone Obstacle Course with ArduPilot SITL
Program a virtual drone to fly itself through waypoints
Use ArduPilot's software-in-the-loop simulator to program a drone that autonomously navigates an obstacle course. No hardware needed — everything runs on your laptop.
Start Project → AI/MLMulti-Sensor Fusion for GPS-Denied Drone Navigation
Navigate a drone without GPS using cameras, IMU, and clever math
Build a sensor fusion system that lets a drone navigate without GPS. Combine visual odometry (OpenCV), inertial measurement (IMU), and optical flow to estimate position in GPS-denied environments.
Start Project →Fly a Simulated Drone with PX4
Command a virtual drone through a waypoint mission using real autopilot software.
Set up the PX4 Software-In-The-Loop (SITL) simulator with Gazebo and use Python MAVLink commands to fly a virtual quadrotor through a series of GPS waypoints. Learn the same autopilot stack used in professional drone operations worldwide.
Start Project →Autonomous Drone Missions with ArduPilot Lua
Script your drone's brain: autonomous survey and inspection in Lua.
Use ArduPilot's built-in Lua scripting engine to write custom autonomous mission logic that goes beyond standard waypoint navigation. You will implement a grid survey pattern, an adaptive inspection hover sequence, and a geofence-triggered return-to-launch — all running onboard without an external companion computer.
Start Project → AI/MLVision-Based Landing with PX4 + OpenCV
Guide a drone to a precise landing using only a camera and fiducial markers.
Build a precision landing system for a PX4-based drone using ArUco marker detection in OpenCV. A companion computer runs the vision pipeline, estimates the marker pose relative to the drone, and sends position setpoints to PX4 via MAVSDK offboard control — closing a visual servo loop that guides the drone to a 10 cm landing accuracy.
Start Project → AI/MLVision-Based Autonomous Landing with ArduPilot
Build a drone that finds and lands on a moving platform using only a camera
Develop a complete computer vision pipeline for precision autonomous landing on a moving platform. The system uses OpenCV for target detection and tracking, feeds corrections to ArduPilot via MAVLink, and achieves landing accuracy well beyond what GPS alone can provide.
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