Skybotix brings to the research and academic markets unique products characterized by:

• Safe design
• Auto stability
• Rich sensor set & embedded computer

CoaX is the first product of Skybotix designed for the research and education markets. It is a unique robotic coaxial helicopter equipped with state of the art sensors and processors. The helicopter is equipped with two brushless motors for the main rotors and two servo motors for the swashplate-based steering. The CoaX contains an integrated Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a pressure sensor, a down-looking sonar, three side looking sonar and a color camera. To communicate with the world, the robot has a Bluetooth (or ZigBee) module and a optional WiFi module. It can also be controlled via a 2.4GHz remote control. The CoaX contains two DSPs (dsPIC33). One is used for sensor data-fusion and the second one for control and communication. Additionally, the CoaX supports the Overo series of tiny computers from Gumstix (optional). CoaX pack comes ready to fly out of the box with a set of attitude and altitude control functions. One can also control the system through an open-source API (included) to give high-level commands for taking-off, landing or any other type of motion. The users can simulate their algorithms on the provided ODE or Simulink simulators, and use exactly the same code to control the real helicopter.

CoaX micro-helicopter flyer CoaX documentation and support portal

Potential applications are:

• Tracking control
• Non-linear systems
• System linearization
• Coupled systems
• Frequency domain analysis
• Real-time control
• Estimation theory
• Hardware in the loop (HIL)