Page 18 - Build Your Own Quadcopter_ Power Up Your Designs with the Parallax Elev-8

Preface xvii

with an experimental quadcopter video surveillance system deployed on or about my
college campus. I also want to acknowledge the help and support of Dr. Lundy Lewis in this
project, which was designed to promote a campus-wide, reasoned discussion of both the
advantages and disadvantages of deploying such a system.
Training is the chief topic in Chapter 10. Learning how to safely control a quadcopter is
a necessity; it definitely requires patience and repeated use of some type of simulator before
you acquire the skills to safely fly the Elev-8. This is another area that differentiates the toy
class from the professional-grade quadcopter. Most people can learn to control the toy
versions by trial and error without incurring much damage to the toy or endangering other
people or property. That’s not true with the Elev-8; you should practice and hone your skills
before attempting to fly it, especially in congested areas.
The final chapter deals with further enhancements to the Elev-8 and suggestions for
future projects that might interest readers, such as autonomous flight and applying artificial
intelligence (AI) to quadcopter operations. I discuss an electronic compass sensor, which is an
important add-on, especially if autonomous operations are being considered. A brief
introduction to Fuzzy Logic (FL) is also presented in the chapter, as it is the most appropriate
control approach needed to implement quadcopter AI. I would also like to acknowledge the
support of Dr. Robert Seidman, who taught me so much about AI and how to properly apply
it to control scenarios, which is so applicable in this situation.
I hope the book only opens your desire to participate in building and flying a quadcopter.
Quadcoptera are much more than a simple hobby, as you probably realize from reading
current articles and seeing TV news segments. The overall “drone” market is expected to
grow into the multibillion range in the very near future, and, hopefully, this book will help
you prepare to participate in this rapidly changing, but highly interesting, endeavor/hobby.
Good luck with your quadcopter.
Donald Norris