New Dexterity Has Designed a Robotic Airship That You Can Build Yourself
Thanks to this open source design, you can now make your own Raspberry Pi-powered robotic airship for about $100.
Disasters like the infamous explosion and subsequent crash of the LZ 129 Hindenburg may lead you to believe that dirigibles are obsolete among modern aircraft. Most people’s only experience with dirigibles is seeing one of the Goodyear Blimps at a sporting event — though blimps differ from airships like the Hindenburg class in that they don’t have rigid internal structures. The LZ 129 Hindenburg was an inherently dangerous airship, as it was filled with highly-flammable hydrogen. Helium-based blimps, however, are much safer. Thanks to a new open source design from New Dexterity, you can now build your own robotic airship.
This airship design is a blimp, because it is held aloft by a helium-filled balloon that doesn’t have any rigid support structure. It’s small and is really only intended to carry a camera. It’s also only suitable for indoor use, because it would easily be blown around in outdoor winds. With those caveats aside, this does offer some advantages when compared to something like a quadrotor drone. The first is that it is far less noisy than a drone, which is ideal if you’re trying to capture something like overhead video at a wedding. The lack of vibration and RF interference can also dramatically improve your video quality without having to resort to expensive stabilization systems.
To make your own robotic blimp, you just need a few common components and access to a 3D printer. A Raspberry Pi Zero W is used for control and for capturing video. Two propellers provide forward and reverse thrust, as well as maneuverability in the XY plane. A third propeller is used to adjust the blimp’s elevation. Power comes from a small, lightweight 500 mAh lithium-ion battery, and the motors are controlled by motor drivers. The video feed is provided by a Raspberry Pi Camera Module. A standard microfoil party balloon filled with helium is used for buoyancy. The blimp can be piloted via a WiFi connection and supports the Robot Operating System (ROS).