Experiments With Embedded Systems

1. Dummy UAV Swarm via ESPNOW

• Built a mock swarm system where multiple UAV nodes communicated wirelessly using the ESPNOW protocol.

• Implemented peer-to-peer message passing for position and state updates between drones.

• Focused on low-latency communication, message reliability, and lightweight payload transmission.

• Learned practical issues of collision-free wireless messaging and debugging ESP32-based networks.

2. Dual STLidar I2C Integration

• Integrated two STLidar sensors on a single I²C bus using an STM32F407 microcontroller.

• Managed device addressing and bus timing to prevent collisions between simultaneous sensor queries.

• Developed firmware to poll sensors alternately, process distance readings, and handle I²C bus errors gracefully.

• Gained experience in sensor fusion preparation for autonomous navigation pipelines.

3. GPS Polling Loop

• Implemented a GPS polling loop on STM32F407 for continuous position tracking.

• Parsed NMEA sentences and converted latitude/longitude into usable coordinates for navigation tasks.

• Designed the loop for non-blocking operation, integrating seamlessly with other MCU tasks (IMU reading, communication).

• Highlighted the importance of real-time scheduling and handling intermittent GPS signal loss.

4. MPU6050 Orientation Test-Bench

• Built a mockup 3D test bench simulating MPU6050 sensor orientation for controlled experiments.

• Implemented a complementary filter to fuse accelerometer and gyroscope data for roll and pitch angle estimation.

• Tested filter response to simulated rotations and biases, validating sensor fusion algorithms before UAV deployment.

• Developed insights into noise handling, calibration, and real-time sensor processing.

Why These Experiments Matter:
These projects demonstrate low-level embedded programming, sensor integration, and autonomous system prototyping skills. They allowed me to explore communication protocols, sensor fusion, and real-time MCU operation without relying on fully built UAVs, emphasizing a code-first, systems-level approach.

I Wish I Could:

• Extend ESPNOW swarm system to support multi-hop communication and collision avoidance.

• Implement full sensor fusion combining GPS, IMU, and LiDAR for simulated navigation.

• Upgrade test-bench to 6-DOF motion simulation, enabling more advanced attitude control experiments.

• Integrate ROS nodes for visualization and logging of sensor data from STM32 experiments.