An FPV (First-Person View) drone is a small, fast, remotely piloted aircraft that transmits live video from an onboard camera directly to the pilot, allowing them to fly as if they were inside the drone. Unlike camera drones designed for stabilized aerial photography, FPV drones prioritize manual control, low latency, and agility, making them popular for racing, freestyle flying, and increasingly for research and engineering applications. FPV flight traces its origins to the early 2000s, when hobbyists began mounting analog cameras and video transmitters onto RC aircraft to achieve real-time video feedback. The field expanded rapidly in the 2010s as lightweight electronics, LiPo batteries, open-source flight controllers, and affordable 5.8 GHz video systems became widely available, transforming FPV drones into a mature ecosystem driven by maker communities, competitive racing, and technological experimentation.

Brushless motors – Convert electrical energy into rotational motion, spinning the propellers to generate lift and enable movement in all directions.

Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs) – Regulate the speed of each motor based on commands from the flight controller, enabling precise and rapid control.

Flight controller (FC) – Serves as the drone’s central computer, processing sensor data and pilot inputs to maintain stability and execute control algorithms.

LiPo battery – Supplies high-current electrical power required to drive the motors and onboard electronics.

Radio receiver – Receives control signals from the pilot’s transmitter and relays them to the flight controller in real time.

FPV camera – Captures a live, low-latency video feed from the drone’s perspective.

Video transmitter (VTX) – Sends the camera’s video signal wirelessly to the pilot.

FPV goggles – Displays the live video feed, enabling immersive first-person flight.

Assembling an FPV drone begins with mounting the frame and securing core components like the flight controller, ESC, and motors, ensuring that wiring paths are clean and unobstructed. Most electronic connections are made through soldering, which involves carefully tinning pads, attaching motor wires to ESC pads, and connecting the battery lead and power distribution lines. Signal wires for the receiver, camera, and video transmitter are soldered or plugged into the flight controller according to its pinout, with heat-shrink tubing and electrical tape used to insulate exposed connections. Once the electronics are installed, components are soft-mounted with rubber spacers or foam to minimize vibration, and firmware such as Betaflight is flashed to the flight controller before calibration and testing. The final steps include attaching the propellers, checking motor direction, and performing a safety test to confirm all systems function correctly before the first flight.

I soon upgraded to  iNav to begin adding autonomous capabilities, incorporating a GPS module and additional sensors so the drone could maintain position, return to home, and follow basic waypoint routes. This marked a shift from purely manual FPV flight to a more robotics-focused platform, where the flight controller handled navigation tasks and stability while I explored higher-level autonomy and data-driven decision-making.

Here, I designed and implemented a dropper mechanism and payload with a deployable parachute prototype for the drone. I designed the mount on Fusion 360, 3d printed it, and added electronics. I then integrated the servo with the drone's flight software, so that I could control it through the same system.