First Person View (FPV) drones are a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that provides real-time video feed to the operator, giving them a pilot’s eye view of what the drone sees. FPV drones are equipped with several different components that enable them with autonomous flight, low-latency video transmission and communication.
ModalAI manufactures several components that are assembled in the USA suitable for FPV drones:
Flight controllers enable UAVs with the ability to fly, or operate in an aerial environment. It uses its onboard compute to process flight-related data in order to maintain a stable flight, execute maneuvers or the pilot’s commands. When coupled with a companion computer, flight controllers can enable a drone to fly autonomously without a pilot.
ModalAI's VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini and Flight Core flight controllers are all NDAA-compliant and built in the USA.
Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs) are a critical part of the flight controller’s operation that gauges and adjusts the speed of the drone’s motors based on the direction of the pilot, or the automated signals from a companion computer.
ModalAI's trio of ESCs are NDAA-compliant and are all designed, built and tested in the USA.
Image sensors help a drone gain context to its surroundings. There are many different types of image sensors that drones can be outfitted with depending on its end use case. Some popular combinations include tracking image sensors for VIO, stereo image sensors for depth perception, and time-of-flight image sensors for depth and measurement.
The VTX transmits the low-latency first person video feed from the drone’s camera to the pilot’s video receiver. The VTX frequently transmits HD RGB data or thermal imagery compressed with h.264 or h.265.
The key performance indicators for FPV VTX systems are latency and range. VOXL 2 can process, compress and transmit FPV 720p data in less than 15ms. The VOXL SDK supports integration with the Doodle Labs and Microhard long range radios.
A video receiver system (VRX) is a device with a screen that a pilot uses to view the drone’s video output. Video receiver systems need to be connected to the same datalink as the VTX in order to work. Typically, for FPV pilots, the video receiving system is plugged into goggles. For non-FPV drones, a laptop or phone is used to receive video footage instead.
A radio controller (R/C) receiver is a piece of hardware with antennas that lives on the drone. The R/C receiver on the drone communicates with an R/C transmitter in order to receive navigation commands from the pilot. An R/C transmitter transmits commands from the pilot to the drone. An R/C transmitter typically lives on a joystick controller that drone pilots can use to communicate with their drones. The R/C transmitter must be connected to the same network as the R/C receiver in order to communicate with the drone.
View all FPV components available by ModalAI
