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Estimated Time
4 Months
At 15 hrs/week
Enroll by
September 29, 2021
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Prerequisites
Mathematics & Programming
What You Will Learn
Syllabus
Flying Car Curriculum
Related NanodegreesPrerequisite Knowledge
Here is a list of prerequisites and recommendations to help prepare you for the program curriculum.
Introduction
Learn about our quadrotor test platform, work in our custom simulator, and build your first project—getting a quadrotor to take-off and fly around a backyard!
3D Motion Planning
Optimize 2D solutions using waypoints, then scale solutions to 3D problems. Apply these skills by autonomously navigating your drone through a dense urban environment.
Controls
Moving a flying vehicle requires determining appropriate low-level motor controls. Here, you’ll build a nonlinear cascaded controller for your drone system.
Estimation
Utilize sensor fusion and filtering. Design an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to estimate attitude and position from IMU and GPS data of a flying robot.
[Optional] Fixed-Wing Aircraft
Learn the dynamics of fixed-wing flight and apply what you’ve learned by writing code to control a fixed-wing aircraft in simulation.
Flying cars will return 8 billion valuable commuter hours to U.S. drivers!
Program OfferingsFull list of offerings included:
Enrollment includes:
Class content
Real-world projects
Project reviews
Project feedback from experienced reviewers
Student Services
Technical mentor support
New
Student community
Improved
Career services
Resume support
Github review
Linkedin profile optimization
Succeed with Personalized Services
We provide services customized for your needs at every step of your learning journey to ensure your success!
Get timely feedback on your projects
Reviews By the numbers
1,400+ project reviewers
2.7M projects reviewed
88/100 reviewer rating
1.1 hours avg project review turnaround time
Reviewer Services
- Personalized feedback
- Unlimited submissions and feedback loops
- Practical tips and industry best practices
- Additional suggested resources to improve
Mentors available to answer your questions
Mentors by the numbers
1,400+ technical mentors
0.85 hours median response time
Mentorship Services
- Support for all your technical questions
- Questions answered quickly by our team of technical mentors
Learn with the Best
Nicholas Roy
Instructor
Nicholas Roy is a Professor in the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, at MIT. He also founded Project Wing at X.
Angela Schoellig
Instructor
Angela is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), and an Associate Director of the Center for Aerial Robotics Research and Education (CARRE) at the University of Toronto.
Sebastian Thrun
Instructor
As the founder and president of Udacity, Sebastian’s mission is to democratize education. He is also the founder of Google X, where he led projects including the Self-Driving Car, Google Glass, and more.
Raffaello D’Andrea
Instructor
Raffaello is a Professor of Dynamic Systems and Control at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He is also the founder of Verity Studios, and a co-founder of Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics).
Sergei Lupashin
Instructor
Sergei has a PhD in MechE from ETH Zurich and a BS in ECE from Cornell. He brings experience from projects such as industrial drones, self-driving cars and controls testbeds. He is a TED Fellow and founder of Fotokite.
Jake Lussier
Product Lead
Jake is a PhD Candidate in AI at Stanford University focused on robotics, perception, and human-centered design. Prior to serving as Product Lead at Udacity, he founded an early-stage food-technology startup and consulted on flying cars.
Andy Brown
Curriculum Lead
Andy has a bachelor's degree in physics from MIT, and taught himself to program after college (mostly with Udacity courses). He has been helping Udacity make incredible educational experiences since the early days of the company.
Flying Car and Autonomous Flight Engineer Nanodegree
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Learn
Apply controls, estimation, and planning methods to autonomously navigate a quadrotor.
Average Time
On average, successful students take 6 months to complete this program.
Benefits include
- Real-world projects from industry experts
- Technical mentor support
- Career services
Related Nanodegree Programs
Self-Driving Car Engineer
Nanodegree Program
In this program, you will learn the techniques that power self-driving cars across the full stack of a vehicle’s autonomous capabilities. Using Deep Learning with radar and lidar sensor fusion, you will train the vehicle to detect and identify its surroundings to inform navigation.
Advanced
Sensor Fusion Engineer
Nanodegree Program
Learn to fuse lidar point clouds, radar signatures, and camera images using Kalman Filters to perceive the environment and detect and track vehicles and pedestrians over time.
Advanced
Program Details
PROGRAM OVERVIEW - WHY SHOULD I TAKE THIS PROGRAM?
Why should I enroll?
The emerging generation of flying car engineers will reimagine how we move and transform how we live. The Flying Car Nanodegree program will prepare you to be at the forefront of this technological and societal revolution.
In this program, you’ll learn from world-class experts, work with cutting-edge tools, and tackle real-world challenges. You’ll master techniques in planning, controls, and estimation. Most importantly, you will learn by doing, writing aircraft-ready code that you can run on your own drones.
If you’re interested in flying cars, drones, autonomous systems, and/or the future of smart transportation, this Nanodegree program is for you!What jobs will this program prepare me for?
As a graduate of the world’s first flying car engineering program, you will be prepared for positions pertaining to aerial robotics, autonomy and mobility. Job titles in this industry vary, but include: Unmanned Aircraft Software Engineer, Software and Controls Engineer, Guidance Navigation and Controls (GNC) Engineer, Aerial Roboticist, and more.
With experience architecting sophisticated yet safe autonomous systems, you will also be prepared for jobs far beyond aerial systems, including: Autonomous Driving Engineer, Autopilot Engineer, Robotics Software Engineer, IoT Engineer, and more.How do I know if this program is right for me?
This Nanodegree program is an advanced specialized program in aerial vehicles—transformational technologies that are reshaping our future and driving amazing new innovations. If you are interested in developing the skills to build an autonomous aircraft system, and excited by the opportunity to port your code to real drones, this is the perfect way to get started.What is the difference between the Flying Car Nanodegree program and the Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program or the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program?
The Flying Car Nanodegree program is a specialized program for aerial vehicles. The focus will be on developing the skills to build an autonomous aircraft system, with a focus on quadrotors. This means a unique emphasis on planning and autonomy for three-dimensional mobility, involving hands-on projects in simulation, with the opportunity to port your code to real drones.
The Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program provides an introduction to software and artificial intelligence as applied to robotics. The areas we focus on are perception, localization, path planning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and control. These are taught using the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework. All of the techniques required to complete the projects in the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program (including machine learning) are taught as part of the program.
The Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program focuses entirely on a specialized application of robotics—it uses robotics concepts and applies them to a self-driving car. If your primary interest is in the application of robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to self-driving cars, then this is the program for you. However, if you want a broader and more comprehensive robotics curriculum, with an emphasis on software engineering, then the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program is your best option.
ENROLLMENT AND ADMISSION
Do I need to apply? What are the admission criteria?
There is no application. This Nanodegree program accepts everyone, regardless of experience and specific background.What are the prerequisites for enrollment?
Students should have prior experience with the following:- Substantial experience programming in any language
- Intermediate-level programming experience in Python or willingness to learn
- Intermediate-level programming experience in C++ or willingness to learn (including knowledge of memory allocation, classes, and references)
- Basic Linear algebra
- Calculus (derivatives and integrals)
- Probability and statistics (mean, variance, and probability distributions)
- Basic Physics (basic mechanics including knowledge of kinematics, dynamics, and torque)
- Students will need to be able to communicate fluently and professionally in written and spoken English.
If I do not meet the requirements to enroll, what should I do?
We have a number of Nanodegree programs and free courses that can help you prepare, including:- Intro to Self-Driving Cars Nanodegree Program
- Intro to Programming Nanodegree Program
- Data Analyst Nanodegree Program
- Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree Program
- Deep Learning Nanodegree Program
- Intro to Computer Science
- Programming Foundations with Python
- C++ for Programmers
- Intro to Statistics, Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics
- Linear Algebra Refresher
- Intro to Data Science and Data Analysis
- Intro to Machine Learning
- Statistics and Probability (Khan Academy)
- Linear Algebra (Khan Academy)
- Multivariable Calculus (Khan Academy)
TUITION AND TERM OF PROGRAM
How is this Nanodegree program structured?
The Flying Car Nanodegree program is comprised of content and curriculum to support five (5) projects. We estimate that students can complete the program in four (4) months working 10 hours per week.
Each project will be reviewed by the Udacity reviewer network. Feedback will be provided and if you do not pass the project, you will be asked to resubmit the project until it passes.How long is this Nanodegree program?
Access to this Nanodegree program runs for the length of time specified in the payment card above. If you do not graduate within that time period, you will continue learning with month to month payments. See the Terms of Use and FAQs for other policies regarding the terms of access to our Nanodegree programs.Can I switch my start date? Can I get a refund?
Please see the Udacity Program Terms of Use and FAQs for policies on enrollment in our programs.I have graduated from the Flying Car Nanodegree program but I want to keep learning. Where should I go from here?
Once you have completed the Flying Car Nanodegree program, the Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program and the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program are ideal for continuing your learning.
SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE - WHAT DO I NEED FOR THIS PROGRAM?
What software and versions will I need in this program?
For the Flying Car Nanodegree Program, the minimum computational requirements are- 4GB RAM
- Quad-Core i5 processor or equivalent
- 50GB free HDD space
- WiFi capability (802.11x)
We also recommend that you obtain Bitcraze’s Crazyflie STEM drone bundle which you can port your code to, but it is not required.