Autonomy Lab
Write it once. Fly it every time. · Operation LOOPBACK · 5 days suggested (1–7)
A robotics lab is building an automated drone cell. Your crew writes the flight logic. Engineers automate drone tasks — inspections, deliveries, light shows — by writing programs that are tested in simulation first, then on hardware. Good automation is predictable, debuggable and safe.
- ◆ I can use sequences, loops and sensor conditions to automate a flight.
- ◆ I can debug a program by comparing expected and actual behavior.
- ◆ I can explain why engineers test in simulation before hardware.
- Pilot: Runs the program and stands ready to take over.
- Mission Commander: Owns the code and the test plan.
- Engineer / Safety Observer: Reviews code for safety and records test results.
Simulator challenges
Before any automation: confirm the drone holds a stable hover, then land on the test pad.
Fly it →Fly the calibration gates in order, then land on the test pad. Your best run becomes the ghost for your crew.
Fly it →Automate a full cycle: approach the test board using the front sensor, hold for inspection, return, and inspect the two side stations with a loop.
Fly it →This program is supposed to fly a square and land at home — but it has a bug. Run it, watch where it goes wrong, and fix it.
Fly it →Fly your Automated Inspection Cell on a real drone and measure how reality differs from the simulation.
- ☐ Recorded predictions before running
- ☐ Measured three results
- ☐ Changed one variable and re-tested
- ☐ Completed the safety review
- ☐ Program uses a sensor and a loop or sequence correctly
Build the Debug the Square fix in Robolink Blockly, then compare it with the Python version this app exports.
- ☐ Built the corrected program in Blockly
- ☐ Matched blocks to Python lines
- ☐ Safe hardware run
Motion-capture tracking (simulated): The simulation shows the drone's exact path so you can compare it with the plan. Real CoDrone EDU: CoDrone EDU estimates position with its optical flow sensor; get_pos_x()/get_pos_y() report it. In class, crews mark the floor and measure.
You wrote, simulated, debugged and hardware-tested an automated flight — the exact loop real robotics engineers follow. Simulation first, hardware second, safety always.