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Intermediate build

How to build CogniFly

4-DoF quadcopter · Intermediate

CogniFly is an ICRA 2022 collision-resilient quadcopter with a flexible TPU-and-carbon frame, Kakute F7 Mini flight controller and Raspberry Pi Zero W for autonomy.

Start the buildProject files
Difficulty
Intermediate

Some soldering, calibration and Linux comfort needed.

Build time
2–4 weekends

Our estimate, part-time

Parts cost
Not published

CA$407.90 total from the paper-version BOM

Degrees of freedom
4

MIT (software; STLs unlicensed)

What is CogniFly?

CogniFly takes its idea from insect exoskeletons. A flexible TPU 95A frame braced with carbon-fibre or bamboo struts soaks up crashes that would break a rigid drone. It was presented at ICRA 2022.

A Holybro Kakute F7 Mini runs the flight control and a Raspberry Pi Zero W with a camera handles onboard autonomy, programmed through the MIT-licensed cognifly-python library.

The STL repo has no license file, and the Latest folder documents a v2 with different electronics from the paper.

CogniFly specifications

Frame
TPU 95A + carbon/bamboo struts
FC
Kakute F7 Mini V2
ESC
35 A 4-in-1
Compute
Pi Zero W + Camera V2
Battery
3S 650 mAh

Figures as published by the project. See Sources below.

Bill of materials

PartQtyNotes
1104 6000 kV / 1106 3800 kV motors + props4
Kakute F7 Mini V21
35 A 4-in-1 ESC1
Raspberry Pi Zero W + Camera V21
3S 650 mAh LiPo1
TPU 95A and rigid filament—
Where's the full bill of materials?

The full BOM, with exact quantities and vendors, lives in the project's own files. Prices change often, so treat Not published as a ballpark. Start at the project repository.

Tools you'll need

  • FDM printer that handles TPU
  • Soldering iron
  • INAV configurator

Step-by-step build overview

Electronics & wiring overview

The Kakute F7 drives the 4-in-1 ESC and talks to the Pi Zero over MSP serial.

LiPo batterypower sourceLaptop / PChigh-level control2D LiDAR + camerasensingRaspberry Pireal-time controllerESCsdrivers / busbrushless motors4 joints / motors
PowerData / commandsSensor feedbackOverview only. Follow the project's own schematic for pinouts and voltages.

Software

The project ships its own firmware and control code. See the repository for setup.

cognifly-python (MIT), with the INAV fork and YAMSPy (GPL-3.0).

Tips from the bench

  • ☕ TPU 95A prints best slowly with retraction mostly turned off.

CogniFly FAQ

Why a flexible frame?

It absorbs collisions, so the drone survives crashes.

Sources

Written by Bots n' Beans from the project's own documentation. Check the sources for the latest revision before you buy parts.

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