Mind Controlled Drone - Tutorial

Summary

This tutorial guides you through the innovative process of controlling a drone with your mind using the Neurosky MindWave Mobile. It covers the essentials, from disassembling a drone controller and setting up potentiometers to building a circuit with an Arduino MKR1000 and creating a Processing sketch for mind-controlled flight. The video demonstrates how to connect the mindwave sensor, calibrate attention levels, and safely operate the drone with a focus on concentration, ensuring a hands-free, thought-driven flying experience.

Takeaways

• 🛠️ The project requires a drone, its controller, a soldering station, a multimeter, Neurosky MindWave Mobile, Arduino MKR1000, and various electronic components.
• 🔍 Disassembling the drone controller is the first step, being careful not to damage the internal circuit board.
• 🔧 Desoldering is necessary to remove the joysticks from the controller, revealing the potentiometers within.
• ⚡ The multimeter is used to measure and match the resistance of the potentiometers, typically 10k ohms.
• 🔌 Soldering is performed to attach resistors and wires to the potentiometers to facilitate PWM to analog voltage conversion.
• 🔄 A digital to analog converter circuit is constructed using capacitors and resistors to filter the PWM output from the Arduino.
• 🤖 The Arduino MKR1000 is the central component for building the main circuit, requiring careful wiring and connection to the controller.
• 🔌 Proper wiring of the Arduino to the controller is crucial to avoid short circuits, with attention to VCC and GND connections.
• 📱 The Arduino sketch is uploaded to control the drone's throttle, yaw, pitch, and roll variables.
• 🧠 The Neurosky MindWave Mobile is used as a brainwave sensor to control the drone, requiring Bluetooth pairing with a computer.
• 💡 The Processing code is essential for translating brainwave data into drone control signals, with a focus on the 'attention' value.
• 🛑 A kill-switch feature is included in the Processing sketch to ensure safety by setting the throttle to zero in case of an emergency.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the video tutorial?

The main objective of the video tutorial is to teach viewers how to lift-off a drone using their mind.

What are the required materials for this project?

The required materials include a drone and its controller, a soldering station and accessories, a multimeter, the Neurosky MindWave Mobile, a micro USB cable, the Arduino MKR1000, a breadboard, 4 100uF capacitors, 4 220Ω resistors, 12 jumper wires, and 6 crocodile clip wires.

Can any drone be used for this project?

The script suggests that this project should work with any drone, and even a cheap drone costing €10 from an outlet store can be used.

What is the first step in modifying the drone's controller?

The first step is to open the case of the controller using any necessary force without damaging the circuit board inside.

Why is a multimeter used in this project?

A multimeter is used to measure the resistance of the potentiometers in the joystick to ensure they have the correct resistance of 10k ohms.

How many resistors are needed to replace the potentiometers in the joysticks?

Four 10k ohm resistors are needed, one for each outer end of the two potentiometers in the joysticks.

What is the purpose of building a digital to analogue converter (DAC) with a low pass filter?

The purpose is to convert the PWM output from the Arduino to an analogue voltage, which is necessary for controlling the drone's controller.

How does the Arduino circuit provide power to the controller?

The Arduino circuit provides power to the controller by connecting the red wire to the VCC for a 3.3-volt output and the ground (GND) with a black wire.

What is the role of the Neurosky MindWave Mobile in controlling the drone?

The Neurosky MindWave Mobile is used to detect the user's brainwave activity, specifically the attention level, which is then sent to the Arduino to control the throttle of the drone.

What is the minimum attention level required to lift-off the drone according to the Processing sketch?

A minimum attention level of 40 is needed to initiate the lift-off of the drone.

How does the 'kill-switch' function in the Processing sketch work?

The 'kill-switch' function terminates the program and sets the throttle to 0 in case something goes wrong, ensuring safety during experimentation. It can be activated by pressing the 'K' key.