paparazzi/paparazzi

What it solves

Paparazzi provides a comprehensive open-source software suite for managing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems, enabling users to control, simulate, and monitor a wide variety of unmanned vehicles.

How it works

The system consists of several components distributed across different directories:

• Onboard Software: Embedded software that runs on the flight controller board to manage the vehicle's flight.
• Ground Station: A ground control segment used to monitor the vehicle and issue commands.
• Simulation: A simulation environment (including support for JSBSim as a flight dynamics model) to test flight behavior before actual deployment.
• Configuration: A dedicated directory for airframe and radio descriptions to customize the software for different vehicle types.

Who it’s for

It is designed for hobbyists, universities, and companies working with unmanned vehicles of various sizes (ranging from 11.9g to 25kg).

Highlights

• Versatile Vehicle Support: Compatible with fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, hybrids, flapping vehicles, and even boats or surface vehicles.
• Full Lifecycle Tooling: Includes tools for compilation, uploading embedded software to flight controllers, and running flight sessions.
• Integrated Simulation: Allows users to test navigation blocks (like "Takeoff" or "Holding point") in a simulated environment before real-world flight.