--- title: Autopilot Apps & Boards for Drones description: Drones are getting Snappy Autopilot Apps. On Indiegogo you can contribute to the PixHawk Fire (PXF). The PixHawk Fire (PXF) is an open hardware cape (daughter board) for the BeagleBone Black that allows you to create Snappy autopilot apps for drones. Behind the cape there is Erle Robotics, a startup based in Spain and led […] url: https://canonical.com/blog/autopilot-apps-boards-for-drones?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Maarten Ectors](https://canonical.com/blog/author/maarten-ectors "More about Maarten Ectors") 27 March 2015 # Autopilot Apps & Boards for Drones [autopilot](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/autopilot) [Drones](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/drones) [erle robotics](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/erle-robotics) [robotics](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/robotics) [ROS](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ros) [Ubuntu Core](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ubuntu-core) --- Share the article Drones are getting Snappy Autopilot Apps. On Indiegogo you can contribute to the [PixHawk Fire (PXF)](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/beagleuav-linux-drones-with-the-beaglebone-black). The PixHawk Fire (PXF) is an [open hardware](http://github.com/diydrones/ardupilot) cape (daughter board) for the [BeagleBone Black](http://beagleboard.org/) that allows you to create Snappy autopilot apps for drones. Behind the cape there is [Erle Robotics](http://erlerobotics.com), a startup based in Spain and led by a group of roboticists focused on bringing up the next generation of personal robots powered by Ubuntu Snappy Core. The first autopilot Snap is based on the open sourced [APM autopilot](http://ardupilot.com/). The autopilot Snap integrates with the Open Source Robotics Foundation framework, [ROS](http://www.ros.org/), which by itself runs on [Snappy Ubuntu Core](http://ubuntu.com/things). This modular software and hardware design allows robotics and drone developers to divide and conquer. Before you had to be an expert in plastics, metal, mechanical engineering, embedded boards, embedded operating systems, robot and drone software, etc. The new approach allows anybody to only focus on the subset they are a real expert in. Software designers will be able to create drone and robot Snaps. Board designers will be able to create more powerful, smaller and cheaper boards. Mechanical engineers and others can focus on bringing the products together into real robots and drones. Everybody can work on their speciality at their own speed without being slowed down by the rest. So if you want to build an auto-piloted drone, be sure to check out the [PixHawk Fire (PXF)](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/beagleuav-linux-drones-with-the-beaglebone-black)… [Get in touch Interested in running Ubuntu in your organization?](https://ubuntu.com/about/contact-us/form) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Extending ROS Noetic Support with ESM-Enabled Content Snaps](https://canonical.com/blog/extending-ros-noetic-support-with-esm-enabled-content-snaps) Canonical has now extended its ESM (Expanded Security Maintenance) for ROS coverage to ROS Noetic content-sharing snaps. With ESM for ROS now available in both deb and snap... [Florencia Cabral Berenfus](https://canonical.com/blog/author/flor-cabral) 17 December 2025 [### Discover your fully open source robotics observability at ROSCon 2025](https://canonical.com/blog/roscon-2025) Another year, another ROSCon! This year we’re heading to Singapore, and Canonical is once again thrilled to sponsor this important community event. Just like last year in... [Gabriel Aguiar Noury](https://canonical.com/blog/author/g-aguiar-noury) 22 October 2025 [### Canonical is now a platinum member in the Open Source Robotics Alliance](https://canonical.com/blog/osra-membership) Ubuntu is the home of ROS. The very first ROS distribution, Box Turtle, launched on Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, Hardy Heron, and since then, Ubuntu and ROS have grown hand in hand. With... [Gabriel Aguiar Noury](https://canonical.com/blog/author/g-aguiar-noury) 20 August 2025 [### So you need to add microcontrollers to your fleet: now what?](https://canonical.com/blog/microcontrollers-ubuntu-core-golioth) Your Ubuntu Core fleet is running beautifully. OTA updates roll out in minutes. Every device is strictly confined, cryptographically attested, and carrying a 10 to 15 year long... [Jonathan Beri](https://canonical.com/blog/author/jmberi) 18 June 2026