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Veloxity is an open-source Rust UAV autopilot that reaches functional parity with C++ autopilots in simulation and flight tests

AspireAI community · arXiv (cs.RO)
Memory-safe languages eliminate whole classes of software errors, but their adoption in aerospace for unmanned aerial vehicles is fragmented: recent Rust UAV projects either run only in simulation, are closed source, or have not been integrated with an established autonomy ecosystem and tested against existing C/C++ firmware. Veloxity is an open-source embedded UAV autopilot written in Rust, providing a minimal modular foundation for autonomous UAVs and lowering the barrier to using memory-safe languages inside modern ecosystems. The authors compare it to equivalent C++ autopilots in simulation, with hardware testbenches, and via outdoor waypoint-following flight tests, demonstrating functional parity with improved performance. The comparison is against autopilots the authors selected, and the hardware evidence is outdoor waypoint following rather than a full flight envelope.
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