Bebop 2 Quadrotor as a Platform for Research and Education in Robotics and Control Engineering

Abstract

In conducting research and teaching in fields related to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it is particularly important to select a universal, safe, open research platform and tools for rapid prototyping. Ready-to-use, low-cost micro-class UAVs such as Bebop 2 are successfully used in that regard. This article presents how to use the potential of this flying robot with Robot Operating System (ROS). The most important software solutions for the developed experimental testbed FlyBebop are characterized here. Their capabilities in research and education are exemplified using three distinct cases: 1) research results on the method of optimal, in-flight, iterative self-tuning of UAV position controller parameters (based only on current measurements), 2) the use of the reinforcement learning method in the autonomous landing of a single drone on a moving vehicle, 3) planning the movement of UAVs for autonomous video recording along the planned path in the arrangement: "cameraman drone" and "lighting technician drones".