How to Develop a Drone Control Application?

Drone app users require apps to control their drones. Therefore, it is important to provide comprehensive features in your drone control application software if you want them to use it. These are the essential features of these apps:

• Users will be able to learn how to fly drones with the app.
• Your drone app should be easy to use by users.
• A drone can only fly in good weather conditions. The app can help users find these places.
• Security concerns have been mentioned before. The app should contain a database that allows users to find out about no-fly zones.
• Weather forecasts should be included in the app for the selected flying area. These can determine whether the drone should be flown immediately or later.
• It is vital to keep track of drone flights by keeping a flight log.
• The app should have a powerful camera platform. The app should allow users to track and move objects around the camera.
• Good drone control software should be able to track flight data so that users can analyze it later.
• The app should offer a training simulator for users. Users can learn the app before purchasing a drone.
• The app requires a digital awareness system to let you know if a manned plane is flying near you.
• Using the app, you can create a pre-flight or recommended flight route for your drone.
• Good drone software development should upload flight data automatically to cloud-based servers for a secure backup.
• It is simple and easy to customize the controls using the UI.

These features are described in the Top Apps for Drone Pilots.

Examples of Drone apps

To get amazing design ideas, I suggest you check out the following drone control applications:

B4UFLY

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) offers the B4UFLY app to control drones app. This app is available for both Android as well as iOS. This smartphone app is easy to use and allows drone operators to access information about restrictions and other location-specific requirements.

An indicator on the app notifies operators when drones are prohibited in a particular region. The app provides information to the operators regarding the reason for the ban. It also offers a "planner mode" for future drone flight planning. B4UFLY also provides interactive and informative maps. It is completely free.

DJI Go

Another free app, but it is very popular. This app is well-known by drone operators. They also have Android and iOS versions. The DJI app allows you to view the drone in HD. It also tracks flight data and offers numerous automated intelligent flight modes. It allows users to record and share videos. The buttons on the control and the app let you take off and land easily. It is easy to locate the drone's position on the map. The app saves flight data. Operators can access it immediately. To reduce the learning curve, the company offers good tutorials and manuals.

UAV Forecast

It's a simple app, and it's also free. The UAV forecast app can be downloaded on both Android and iOS. It displays detailed information about the weather conditions for each user's region. It provides wind, rain, visibility, cloud coverage, and other information. This app allows users to determine if the weather is suitable for flying drones.

Approach to creating an app for mobile drones

We will be recommending a few "Software Development Kits" (SDKs) as well as some "Application Programming Interfaces" (APIs) in this article. These, or any combination thereof, can be used to create custom features. This allows you to make your app stand out from the rest.

The UI (User Interface) must be designed. Additionally, the front end of the mobile app must also be developed. This development will be a lot easier if you use SDKs or APIs. It would help if you considered purchasing a Mobile Backend as a service (MBaaS) to host your mobile app backend. This will be covered in more detail later.

This project management should be done using the "Agile" methodology. For more information on organizing your team for an Agile project, see our guide "How to Build an Agile Development Team?".

SDK/API Options

You can review the following SDK/API options to help you make informed decisions about how to create a mobile app that works with drones.

Option 1: FlytBase SDK or API

Fly Base is a popular IoD platform that offers SDKs and APIs to developers for building drone control apps. Their platform offers many advantages, including unified APIs and interoperability. They also have a drone simulator that can simulate the real world. Enterprise-level scaling is possible.

The platform can also be used with the most popular sensors, cloud services, and devices. This platform offers enterprise-level security. A suite of drone application solutions is also available to the company, including security and surveillance, delivery management, fleet management, warehouse management, etc. One solution might be right for you. You can see their solutions by clicking.

To access their SDKs or APIs, you must register with Fly Base. There are a few core products they offer, such as:

• FlytOS: An intelligence component that overlays the hardware. It can be used for 3D modeling. FlytOS provides add-on plugins to support video streaming and collision avoidance.
• FlytCloud: The cloud infrastructure of FlytCloud offers remote control, telemetry, and video/payload data. FlytCloud is also connected to FlytOS via seamless connectivity.
• FlytPi starter set: This companion computer comes preloaded with FlytOS, FlyCloud, and other FlytOS features.

FlytSDK is the company's Android SDK. You can also access APIs from them. You can access their complete documentation right here. Contact us to discuss their API pricing plans and SDK.

Option 2: DroneKit SDK & API

DroneKit is a platform for creating drone control apps. These are the key features of the platform:

• Intelligent path planning;
• Autonomous flight
• Telemetry lives

This platform allows you to create Android drone control applications. The Android SDK documentation is available here.

It is open-source, meaning that many people have contributed to the code. It is compatible with all major drone platforms. Both the SDKs and APIs are open-source and free. The APIs are easy to use and can also be extended to support additional sensors or actuators. The API libraries can be accessed here.

Drone development Kit Cloud API is required to store, share, and access vehicle and flight log data. Register for the DroneKit-Cloud API here. View their example projects in their GitHub repositories.

Option 3: DJI SDK or API

DJI provides mobile SDKs as well as APIs for drone control apps. These SDKs can be used to create Android and iOS apps. These features can be incorporated into your apps:

• Control of high- and low-level flight;
• Telemetry and sensor data can be used to determine the aircraft's state;
• Avoid obstacles
• You can control the camera to take photos according to your needs.
• Live video feed
• Remote access to media on a camera
• Mission control
• Remote controller for battery control

You can read more about the mobile SDK. Contains the Android API references and has the iOS API reference.

You may be able to speed up your development depending on which drone platform and device you are using. DJI also offers additional SDKs that support popular drone models like Spark, Mavic, and Phantom. These SDKs are available for download:

• UI/UX designer’s SDK;
• On-board SDK

Register for the SDK and API. For pricing information, contact DJI.

Option 4: Parrot SDK & API

Parrot offers SDK and API to create drone control apps. The SDK from Parrot is free. Additionally, you can find sample code repositories to help you get started. You can integrate the following features with this SDK into your drone control app:

• Connect to your drone
• Pilot your drone;
• Receive streaming data;
• Download media, including images or videos, and save it.
• Send flight plans to autopilot
• Update your drone.

The SDK can be used with many different drone platforms. The SDK was developed with the popular programming language C. It includes libraries for Android or iOS. The SDK also includes a drone simulator.

You must sign up with the Parrot development platform to get the SDK. Their sample projects for iOS and Android can be viewed in their GitHub repository.

Guidelines and developement tools

Mobile apps need to have a UI design and a development team. This is even more critical for drone control applications, as users are likely to have a steep learning curve. Mobile menus and navigation are essential skills for UI designers. Consult our guide " Mobile navigation menu examples" for more details.

For testing mobile apps, use the appropriate test drone automation software. Appium is a popular framework for mobile automation testing. Appium is built on the Selenium framework. An MBaaS provider is a great option to speed up your project. This will save you all the work involved in mobile backend development and management. MBaaS providers manage infrastructure, user management, security, persistent storage management, and other aspects. Google Firebase is a great choice. However, we recommend our guide "How do I choose the best mobile backend service (MBaaS). for more information, You must also know how to publish your application in the app store. You need to be able to publish your app in the app stores. There are some key steps you should follow. You can find the guidelines for Android and iOS and respectively.

HOW YOU CAN DIFFERENTIATE DRONE CONTROL AND APP BY THE SMART DRONE APP PROGRAMMING

The drone industry is very competitive. To make your mark in the drone market, you must offer your drone control app unique features. Here are some ways you can do this:

Choose native mobile development over cross-platform development.

We recommend you choose native mobile development. Native mobile apps provide a better user experience, security, performance, and overall user experience than cross-platform apps.

Native mobile apps make use of device-specific features. They are developed using technologies that are compatible with the specific operating system. The drone development kit requires Java or Kotlin. You develop native iOS apps using Swift. These languages leverage the strengths of each operating system very effectively.

Cross-platform apps can help you save money. You can run your app on Android and iOS using the same code base. Cross-platform apps cannot match native performance and security.

Ensure that you pay attention to the user interface (UI) when developing drone software

Your drone control app users need a user-friendly UI. To design and develop your app's user interface (UI), I recommend that you refer to the platform-specific guidelines.

When designing the UI of your Android app, use the "Material Design" guidelines. Use the "Human Interface Guidelines" to design the UI for your iOS app.

Stay up-to-date with all the latest developments in the drone industry

The drone industry is a hub for research and development. Consider the new algorithms that allow drones to avoid obstacles. These algorithms allow drones to fly faster around obstacles.

A new algorithm allows drones to fly faster than human race pilots. External cameras provide real-time location information. The algorithm calculates the time-optimal trajectories. These developments will allow you to be a better marketer.

A cloud-based mobile device lab lets you test your mobile apps

The proposed drone control app must work on all mobile devices. To ensure it works, you should test the app against many mobile devices and browsers. Digital. ai's mobile cloud and web testing lab are recommended. Your team has access to hundreds of real devices in the cloud for testing.

Ensure that you pay attention to non-functional requirements when developing drone software

It is important to consider non-functional requirements (NFRs). This includes scalability and performance, security, maintenance ability, etc. Software solutions should help you meet your NFRs. You can use scalable SQL databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. If you require a NoSQL database that is scalable, MongoDB and Apache Cassandra are the best drone app development.

Get to know the diverse array of drone technology solutions and offerings

A growing number of drone solutions are available. This includes both hardware and software solutions. Access to excellent documentation is also possible. These are just a few examples.

A. The Linux Foundation includes the Drone Code Foundation. It supports important projects that promote the growth of the drone industry.

These are open-source projects. These open-source projects can be a great help for your project.

MAVLink is an example. MAVLink is a lightweight message library that allows communication between drones and ground control stations. MAVLink provides message-set specifications. You can also use Python tools to convert them into source codes for popular languages such as Java, Swift, JavaScript, etc.

B. AIRSIM - A SIMULATOR FOR DRONES

Are you planning to also offer a simulator for drones and a drone control application? AirSim is a great resource for ideas. This platform was developed using AI, Deep Learning (DL), Computer Vision, and Reinforced Learning.AirSim supports Lidar sensors. Lidar sensors are a popular choice because they can provide high-quality data for drones.

C. DRONEMAPPER

Are you looking for a photo processing software solution for your drone control app? DroneMapper is a good choice. The company has two licensed software products, "REMOTE EXPERT" and "RAPID."

THE COST OF BUILDING A DRONE APP

There are many cost components to this project, such as the following:

SDK/API: We offer a few SDK/API options for free, but you will need to contact other providers to find out their pricing plans.

MBaaS providers list their pricing plans every time they publish them on their websites.

Your requirements will determine the development effort. Additionally, the labor market in your area will impact the cost of development manpower. Remote professional assistance may be required depending on how many developers are available in your area. Contact us to know more about drone development.

FINAL THOUGHTS

You need help developing a drone control application but don't possess the necessary skills or experience. PerfectionGeeks will help you.

Frequently Asked Questions

⦁ Which app should I use to control my drone?

Kitty Hawk is a great app for general drone use. You might have to develop your app if you need specific features.

⦁ Can I make a drone control application?

If you have some development experience, you can create a drone app. To do this, you will need to hire developers with experience from companies like PerfectionGeeks Technologies.