This week, we started setting up the Jetson TX1. We tried setting up the TX1 and installing the SDK on a Windows laptop but this didn’t end up working due to using WSL instead of an actual Ubuntu OS. So, we met up at lab to download and configure Jetpack and install ROS on the Jetpack. During the process, we ran out of space on the internal memory. and had to research methods for copying over flash memory to an SD card and booting the Jetson from an external SD card. In addition. we started working on the color filtering and blob detection for identification of targets using a red Microsoft t-shirt as an identifier. In addition, we set up the drone flight controller and calibrated the sensors. Finally, we designed a case for the TX1 to be 3d-printed and worked on the design presentation.
For next week, we will continue working on the target identification, using test video we capture from a 2-story building to simulate aerial video from 20 feet up. In addition, we will start to work on preliminary target state estimation using handcrafted test data and design a part to mount the camera to the drone. We will also install the necessary communication APIs on the RPi and set up an initial software pipeline for the motion planning.