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Drone drivers

Each drone needs its own driver or bridge, started in its own terminal before the mission connects (examples default to start_driver=False). This is the real-world counterpart of the simulation bridge.

Pick your drone below for the install, the driver command, and a worked flight. Targets are defined in scripts/lib/drones.sh.

Pick your drone

Installs MAVROS and the GeographicLib geoid datasets.

make setup                 # pick: control
make drone-mavros

Start the driver, then fly a 2 m square:

make driver DRONE=mavros FCU_URL=serial:///dev/ttyUSB0:921600   # terminal 1
nectar-activate                                                 # terminal 2
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py --drone mavros --mode position --side 2.0

No separate install: pymavlink ships with the core SDK, so the mission opens the link itself. make drone-mavros adds the geoid data used for GPS altitude.

Outdoor needs no bridge; fly directly:

nectar-activate
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py \
    --drone mavlink --mode position --side 2.0 --env outdoor \
    --connection serial:///dev/ttyUSB0:921600

Indoor (GPS-denied) starts the vision-pose bridge first:

make driver DRONE=mavlink ENV=indoor          # terminal 1: VISION_POSITION_ESTIMATE -> FCU
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py \
    --drone mavlink --mode position --side 2.0 --env indoor    # terminal 2

Reuses MAVROS, launched with px4.launch.

make setup                 # pick: control
make drone-px4

make driver DRONE=px4 FCU_URL=udp://:14540@127.0.0.1:14580   # terminal 1
nectar-activate                                              # terminal 2
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py --drone px4 --mode position --side 2.0

No separate install: pymavlink ships with the core SDK. Outdoor the mission opens the link itself; indoor starts the vision-pose bridge (make driver DRONE=px4_mavlink ENV=indoor).

nectar-activate
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py --drone px4_mavlink --mode position --side 2.0

Installs px4_msgs and the Micro XRCE-DDS Agent (real hardware; no SITL).

make setup                 # pick: control
make drone-px4-dds

make driver-px4-dds DEV=/dev/ttyUSB0 BAUD=921600   # terminal 1 (PORT=8888 for UDP)
nectar-activate                                    # terminal 2
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py --drone px4_dds

To add an object detector to the same mission, install ai too (make setup → control ai) and use from nectar.ai.detection import Detector.

Installs Crazyswarm2 (apt when available, else source) plus radio udev rules. Set your URI in crazyflies.yaml.

make drone-crazyflie

make driver-crazyflie      # terminal 1: Crazyflie server
nectar-activate            # terminal 2
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py \
    --drone crazyflie --mode position --height 0.5 --side 0.6

Installs ros2_parrot_arsdk and ros2_bebop_driver (source build).

make drone-bebop

make driver-bebop IP=192.168.42.1   # terminal 1
nectar-activate                     # terminal 2
python3 nectar/nectar/examples/control/basic.py --drone bebop

Manage drivers

  • Install every driver at once with make drone-all.
  • Stop all running drivers and bridges with make driver-stop.
  • Override connections with the FCU_URL, DEV, BAUD, PORT, and IP env vars.
  • Per-type shortcuts exist (make driver-mavros, driver-px4, ...).

For the full backend matrix and configuration, see the Control module.