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In this chapter, we will show you what an autopilot is. We’ll also introduce the characteristics and history of the hardware and software used throughout this book, which are the ArduPilot libraries and the Pixhawk autopilot. You will learn the difference between a GUI and an SDK, and how many types of SDKs there are for programming autopilots. Additionally, we will discuss other compatible projects and you will learn to distinguish between clone and original versions.

In this chapter, you will learn key concepts for using the ArduPilot real-time working environment libraries, such as the concept of a linker, the scheduler and its parameters, how to measure the current time of a task, the parts of a scheduler-mode program, and a really simple and understandable code demo for starting real time.

In this chapter, we will teach you how to program a vehicle with the previous knowledge acquired. This chapter will guide you through the basics of automatic control, modeling, and the tool known as an allocation matrix, which is very useful for linking theory with practice. All this will be shown with a specific use-case: the quadcopter. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to use the skills learned with any other type of robotic vehicle.

This chapter will refresh your knowledge about certain concepts that will be useful throughout the rest of the book. First, you will learn about common robotic components employed with the autopilot, such as spatial pose, getter and setter concepts, variables, functions, modules, objects, coding and installation differences, and computational efficiency. Concerning the ArduPilot libraries, you will learn the usual parts of ArduPilot code and the archetypes of programming.

In this chapter, you will learn about the file types and some specific types of variables that are usually employed with the ArduPilot libraries. You will learn the programming flow we recommend using for the development of projects. You’ll also see how to create projects and identify errors using the example of the Eclipse interface development environment (IDE) that comes preloaded with the version of the libraries included with this book. Finally, you’ll explore the use of the ArduPilot libraries in conjunction with development boards.

In this chapter, you will learn to code with the ArduPilot libraries. This chapter focuses on what we consider the most important basic input and output operations: terminal writing and reading, radio control reading, how to use analog and digital ports, how to read the battery, how to use the onboard main LED, and most importantly, how to read and filter position and orientation signals, which are essential in order to command a vehicle.

In this chapter, the functions previously described are combined into a real-time code with their respective modules. Some other functions not added in the sequential code are included, simply to demonstrate the versatility of the real-time mode in the assignment and hierarchy of auxiliary tasks.