PX4/PX4-Autopilot

What it solves

PX4 is an open-source autopilot stack that provides the core flight control and navigation systems for unmanned vehicles. It eliminates the need for developers to build a flight stack from scratch, supporting a wide variety of vehicle types including multirotors, fixed-wing aircraft, and rovers.

How it works

It uses a modular architecture based on uORB, a publish/subscribe middleware that allows modules to run in parallel and remain thread-safe. The system is compatible with DDS and MAVLink, enabling integration with ROS 2 and other external systems. It runs on NuttX, Linux, and macOS, and is compatible with a wide range of autopilot boards (such as the Pixhawk ecosystem).

Who it’s for

It is designed for drone developers, industrial survey aircraft operators, and researchers who need a professional-grade, vendor-neutral autopilot system for unmanned vehicles.

Highlights

• Broad Vehicle Support: Supports multirotors, fixed-wing, VTOL, rovers, and experimental platforms like submarines and airships.
• Modular Design: Built around uORB middleware for flexible, and parallelized configurations.
• Developer Tooling: Includes first-class support for SITL simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and log analysis tools.
• Vendor Neutral: Hosted by the Dronecode Foundation under a BSD-3 license to ensure no single vendor controls the roadmap.