Brain Drone Race Project

This summer I was part of a team of five REU students. Our project was called the Brain Drone Race. In other words, drone racing through the use of Brain Computer Interface (BCI). BCI is a communication means between the brain and a technological device. The way this was accomplished was by transmitting takeoff and forward commands from the brain by utilizing an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset. An EEG headset displays the electrical activity of the brain and then amplifies it in order to view and analyze it.

The world's first Brain Drone Race took place at UF in spring 2016. However, there were several areas for improvement. We identified these areas and worked on them throughout the summer. Additionally, we also documented the race execution process in order to aid with reproducibility in future races.

Methodology

  1. 1) Reproduce standard flight used for first race.
  2. 2) Identify areas of improvement for original DJI Phantom 3 Drone.
    1.         a) Ex: flight stability and line follower algorithm.
  3. 3) Test different parameters and measure relative improvements.
  4. 4) Explore other drone options (Bebop 2).

More information:

Poster Presentation

Final Report

Propeller guards were designed and printed to make the Bebop 2 safe for testing conditions.
Prop guards side 1 (stl file)
Prop guards side 2 (stl file)