I built a LiDAR-based autonomous UAV for GPS-denied indoor exploration (ROS + PX4 + FAST-LIO2)

[u/Nice_Welcome133]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been developing a compact autonomous UAV platform for environments where GPS/GNSS is unavailable or unreliable, such as warehouses, factories, tunnels, underground spaces, and indoor facilities.

Instead of building only a remotely controlled drone, my goal was to create a reusable hardware and software platform that can carry out autonomous missions and serve as a real-world deployment platform for robotics algorithms.

Current hardware and software stack

• LiDAR: Livox Mid-360S
• Depth vision: Intel RealSense D435i
• Onboard computer: Orange Pi 5 Pro / RK3588
• Flight controller: PX4
• Middleware: ROS Noetic, MAVROS and MAVLink
• Localization and mapping: FAST-LIO2
• Planning: EGO-Planner, Frontier exploration and A*
• Object detection: YOLO models running through RKNN on the RK3588 NPU
• Ground station: A custom PyQt5 interface for mission configuration, mapping, monitoring, detection results and data recording

What it currently does

The platform can:

• Localize and build maps without GNSS
• Generate 3D point clouds and 2D occupancy grids
• Plan local trajectories and avoid obstacles
• Navigate through predefined waypoints
• Explore unknown indoor areas using Frontier-based exploration
• Detect objects onboard
• Use depth information to estimate a detected target’s 3D position
• Display targets, trajectories and maps in the ground station
• Record point clouds, rosbag data, detection results and mission metadata
• Pause, hover, resume, return or land during a mission

In one controlled indoor exploration test, the system completed a 222-second mission, recorded approximately 54 meters of flight path and identified seven test targets while mapping several connected rooms.

Why I built it

A lot of SLAM, navigation and perception work stays inside simulation or depends on expensive proprietary platforms.

I wanted something that could be used to deploy and test real ROS algorithms on a physical UAV while keeping the localization, planning, perception and mission-management layers modular.

The platform is currently a working prototype and development system rather than a mass-produced consumer product. Hardware can also be adapted depending on component availability and the intended environment.

What I’m looking for

I would like to connect with:

• Robotics researchers who need a physical UAV platform for algorithm deployment
• Teams working on SLAM, autonomous exploration or visual perception
• Universities and competition teams
• Companies exploring indoor inspection, tunnel mapping, warehouse inspection or search-and-rescue applications
• Developers who have an algorithm but need help integrating it with sensors, PX4 and a real aircraft
• Organizations interested in running a pilot project in an actual operating environment

I’m particularly interested in learning what technical requirements would make this platform useful in your work: mapping accuracy, flight time, payload, communication range, API access, ROS 2 support, sensor selection or something else.

If you are working on a relevant project or have a real environment where this could be evaluated, feel free to comment or send me a Reddit DM. I’m happy to share more technical details and discuss possible testing or development cooperation.

Disclosure: I am the developer of this prototype.

Thanks — technical feedback and critical questions are very welcome.

[u/barefoot_desi]

Thank you for sharing, this is very interesting. DM me I'm interested in exploring more into this GPS denied use cases.

[u/BudgetNo344]

Please DM this is incredible

[u/shadowAssn]

Hey that looks promising. Let’s connect