Preface

We live in the drone age. Drones currently serve purposes in defense, entertainment, and in some countries, package delivery. However, the drone age is still in its infancy. There are a plethora of uses for drones that are just on the cusp of being discovered; drones for mapping, drones for convenience, and even drones for scientific research.

This book will walk you through the design process for drones that navigate the air, land, and even the sea. We will show you how to come up with ideas, overcome the limitations of budget and current technology, and implement them. However, a drone without a "brain" is just an RC vehicle. We’ll show you how to integrate the Pixhawk 2.1 guidance system into your drone and how to add peripherals and sensors to Pixhawk to make ordinary RC vehicles into smart drones that serve purposes.