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Welcome to the Quadshot Wiki! If you would like an editor account, please e-mail us at <wiki at transition-robotics dot com>
This documentation is still work in progress
The Quadshot is a remote-controlled aircraft we have created that melds advanced Open-Source hardware and software with a unique airframe design. It can both fly forward like an airplane and hover like a helicopter - but without the usual complicated, expensive, and fragile moving parts. The Quadshot also incorporates a threaded mount so you can attach a small camera and capture aerial footage. This is what comes to our minds when we try to explain the Quadshot:
BRAIN + AIRFRAME + YOU = AWESOME
Let’s briefly go through each part:
BRAIN - The Quadshot differs from a typical remote-controlled airplane or helicopter in a big way: it has a brain! Our brain or autopilot is called Lisa.
Like the flight computer on an advanced aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Lisa is equipped with a sensor suite called an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), shown above right. The IMU contains 3-axis solid-state accelerometers and gyroscopes to keep Lisa up-to-date on which way she is pointing and how fast she is rotating.
Lisa combines all of this information with your commands and then decides what to do hundreds of times per second. The advantage of being so brainy? You can tell the Quadshot to hover like a helicopter, fly slowly and steadily like a trainer airplane, or give you full control for aerobatics - all at the flip of a switch.
Lisa may be small, but she’s powerful - and hackable! Lisa’s hardware is open (OSHW), and she runs flight software based on the Open-Source Paparazzi project - which means you have the power to make changes, and also benefit from improvements made by others in the community.
AIRFRAME - We designed the Quadshot’s airframe to be lightweight, yet durable. It consists of a one-meter (39 inch) wing, four pylons with motors and propellers, an enclosure for the electronics, and a standard threaded mount suitable for a small camera. The wing is made out of EPP foam, with a carbon-fiber spar for strength. The pylons are plastic-reinforced foam, and act as landing gear, motor mounts, and tailfins. They are set farther apart on the bottom of the wing to give your camera a clear view.
YOU - The most important part! You’re in control: hover around, or improve your skills in the beginner airplane setting with assisted, graceful banked turns. Feeling adventurous? Try the advanced mode and perform exciting aerobatics. Attach your camera for aerial footage, or even a pan/tilt mount for flying with a first-person view! Want to hack the software, build a UAV, or do something no one has thought of yet? Just get an airframe and use your own gear, or join the worldwide community of Paparazzi developers!
