Hardware

Syma S107 helicopter



This is a cheap remote controlled infrared helicopter. It has three basic movements. These are the throttle, the yaw (rotation) and the pitch (forward or backward movement). The main advantage of using this helicopter is that it is very stable. This stability is a result of the helicopter having two propellers and a stabilizer bar. The helicopter uses infrared for control and can therefore only be flown indoors.
Syma S107 Home Page

Arduino Uno Board



The Arduino Uno board will be used to send commands to the helicopter. Arduino is an inexpensive platform for making interactive applications. The Arduino board has an ATmega328 micro controller and can be powered by USB. The Arduino programming language is based on the Processing programming environment.
Arduino Home Page

Xbox Kinect



The Kinect is a motion sensor for Xbox 360 and gives 2D information as well as depth information. The Kinect will be used to identify LEDs on the front and back of the mini helicopter and track these as it moves. Calculations can then be performed on the position of these LEDs, which can determine where the helicopter is, how far away it is and what its next movement should be. The libraries used enabling the Kinect to be used on Windows were downloaded from OpenKinect. OpenKinect is an open community developing software to enable the integration of the Xbox Kinect with computers and other devices.
OpenKinect Home Page