Low-Cost ESP32 Drone

As seen here, Circuit Digest has developed a low-cost, ESP32-controlled drone. To simplify the design and save costs, this flying object uses a PCB as the structure of the device itself, plus a method to mount and interface integrated circuits. Even the landing gear is made out of PCB material, with feet that are snapped off and soldered in a vertical orientation.

With the small aerial device’s PCB and ESP32-centric design, it can be constructed for around 1000 Rupees (~$12 US). A typical drone could cost on the order of 6000 Rupees (~$72 US) according to the demo/explainer video, though the price could theoretically be much higher.

Along with a clever PCB design, the choice of an ESP32 allows for a reduced BOM cost and a relatively simple assembly. The module — with Espressif's ESP-drone firmware — itself takes care of processing needs, and provides communication and control via its built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. A number of other chips are implemented as well, including a CP2102N USB-UART controller, a TP4056 Li-ion charger, and an MPU6050 IMU for orientation sensing.

A smartphone/app setup is used as the device's user interface, further simplifying the unit’s design and materials costs (as long as we’re not counting the cost of the phone itself). More info on the build can be found in its write-up, and code and design files are available on GitHub. While one could certainly copy the project verbatim, it would also be interesting to build on what Circuit Digest has done to create something all your own!