MIRA: A Modular Open-Source Micro-UAV for Indoor Research

arXiv:2607.11785v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Indoor robotics research increasingly uses micro-UAV platforms whose airframes, electronics, and control software are open to modification. Off-the-shelf platforms often lack the low-level access required for such modifications, while building a custom alternative requires initial engineering effort before flight testing can begin, leaving many laboratories to work within constraints that limit the scope of their research. We present MIRA (Modular Indoor Research Architecture), a low-cost, open-source micro-UAV for indoor research, built around a replicable 3D-printed PLA airframe and a containerized low-level software package that manages the companion-to-autopilot communication bridge via Micro XRCE-DDS. Designed as a white-box architecture, core subsystems are individually replaceable without firmware refactoring, supporting local fabrication and component substitution from existing lab inventory. We characterize MIRA through autonomous flight evaluations, including sequences of takeoff, trajectory tracking, hovering, and landing, within an optical motion-capture volume. The communication pipeline sustains a median companion-to-autopilot latency of 0.02 ms, and time-domain analysis shows that structural vibration levels remain stable and within recommended autopilot safety thresholds during dynamic maneuvers.

Abstract:Indoor robotics research increasingly uses micro-UAV platforms whose airframes, electronics, and control software are open to modification. Off-the-shelf platforms often lack the low-level access required for such modifications, while building a custom alternative requires initial engineering effort before flight testing can begin, leaving many laboratories to work within constraints that limit the scope of their research. We present MIRA (Modular Indoor Research Architecture), a low-cost, open-source micro-UAV for indoor research, built around a replicable 3D-printed PLA airframe and a containerized low-level software package that manages the companion-to-autopilot communication bridge via Micro XRCE-DDS. Designed as a white-box architecture, core subsystems are individually replaceable without firmware refactoring, supporting local fabrication and component substitution from existing lab inventory. We characterize MIRA through autonomous flight evaluations, including sequences of takeoff, trajectory tracking, hovering, and landing, within an optical motion-capture volume. The communication pipeline sustains a median companion-to-autopilot latency of 0.02 ms, and time-domain analysis shows that structural vibration levels remain stable and within recommended autopilot safety thresholds during dynamic maneuvers.

Robotics (cs.RO); Systems and Control (eess.SY)

arXiv:2607.11785 [cs.RO]

(or arXiv:2607.11785v2 [cs.RO] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.11785 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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MIRA: A Modular Open-Source Micro-UAV for Indoor Research

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