Path Planning

Overview

Now that you know how to customize your drone, let’s turn it into a sky artist! In this project, you will learn how to use a path planning tool to make the drone automatically draw a figure-8 or a heart, showcasing its precise flight ability.

What You’ll Learn

• The basics of path planning
• How to use a path design tool
• How to generate path firmware
• How to test automatic flight paths

Materials Needed

Item	Quantity	Notes
Assembled drone	1	The drone built in Project 02
Computer	1	With path_designer.exe installed
Colored tape	1 roll	For floor markings
USB cable	1	For firmware flashing

Step 1: Design the Flight Path

1.1 Prepare the path design tool

1. Go to the resource download page and download path_designer.exe to your computer
2. Install and open the tool

1.2 Generate the figure-8 path firmware

1. In path_designer.exe, choose the “Figure-8 path” template
2. Click the “Generate firmware” button
3. The tool will generate a path_8.bin file on your desktop

1.3 Generate the heart path firmware

1. In the same tool, choose the “Heart” template
2. Click “Generate firmware”
3. The tool will generate a path_heart.bin file on your desktop — save it for a later challenge

Step 2: Flash the Path Firmware

2.1 Flash the figure-8 path firmware

1. Hold down the “BOOT” button on the ESP32 board while plugging the USB cable into the computer
2. Open flash_tool.exe and select the path_8.bin file
3. Click “Flash” and wait for the process to complete (about 10 seconds)
4. After the tool shows “Flash successful”, unplug the USB cable

Step 3: Flight Test

3.1 Floor markings

1. Use colored tape to draw a figure-8 on the floor as a reference
2. Make sure the flight area is open and free of obstacles

3.2 Automatic flight test

1. Turn on the drone power (the lithium battery switch)
2. Connect your phone to the drone’s Wi-Fi
3. Open the Drone Control app
4. Tap the “Auto flight” button in the app
5. Watch whether the drone flies along the figure-8 path!

Step 4: Challenge Tasks

4.1 Heart path challenge

1. Flash the path_heart.bin firmware to the drone
2. Use colored tape to draw a heart shape on the floor as a reference
3. Test whether the drone can draw a heart in the air
4. You could use this trick to give a friend a romantic surprise!

4.2 Custom path challenge

1. In path_designer.exe, try to create your own custom path
2. Generate the corresponding firmware and flash it to the drone
3. Test the flight result of your custom path

Troubleshooting

Drone deviates from the path

• Make sure the drone is placed at the starting point of the path
• Check that the battery is sufficiently charged
• Make sure the flight environment is windless

Automatic flight fails

• Confirm the firmware has been flashed successfully
• Check that the drone is placed on a level surface
• Try re-calibrating the gyroscope

Achievement

Congratulations! Your drone is now a sky artist! By using a path planning tool, you have learned how to make the drone fly along a preset path and draw beautiful patterns. This shows your understanding of drone control and how to apply it.

Next Steps

In the next project, you will learn how to install a camera on the drone, watch the drone’s perspective on your phone and experience the fun of first-person-view flight.