CrazyFlie quadcopter made out of a printed circuit board

We have seen our fair share of remote controlled helicopters in the past, but here is another one that might just take the cake where cuteness is concerned. The CrazyFlie quadcopter as it is know, is more or less a flying printed circuit board, and that knowledge alone should help you appreciate the intricacies and work that has gone into it.

The entire shebang tips the scales at slightly more than an ounce, measuring around 4″ on each side, while featuring a 3-axis accelerometer, a couple of gyroscopes, a charging port and a small model airplane battery that is capable of delivering up to four and a half minutes of flying time. Both the battery and propellers are part of a Silverlit X-Twin remote-controlled airplane.

The processor is nothing earth shattering, since it runs on a 64MHz CPU that relies on data from the accelerometer and gyroscopes in order to perform minute adjustments at a rate of 250 times per second, helping keep the small copter airborne according to the best of its ability.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: rc helicopter