🛠️ Build in public · live project

Claude flew a drone in simulation. Now my 5-year-old and I are building the real one.

Every part, the wiring, and a tracker that only moves when something real happens.

Follow the build (free) See the parts list
Milestone 1, Sep 14. One instruction. Claude checked the drone's health, armed it, took off to 4 m, flew 6 m forward, came home and landed — in the simulator, on the same flight software the real drone will run.

Why this project

Agents are leaving the screen

When an agent's decision moves something physical, you find out fast which parts of your setup you actually trust.

One system, not three subjects

Hardware, software and AI together, because the drone doesn't care which one broke.

Simulator first

Proven on a virtual drone for $0 before a single propeller spins.

Built with a kid

My 5-year-old sorts parts and plugs in connectors next to me.

How it works

From a sentence to a propeller

Claude reaches the drone over one radio. A human holds a second, completely separate one with a kill switch.

ON THE GROUND · MY COMPUTER Claude agent Decides: take off, go there, land MAVLinkMCP Each decision into a drone command MAVProxy On a Mac mini, bridges to the radio Ground radio SiK telemetry, plugged in by USB 915 MHz telemetry IN THE AIR · THE DRONE Air radio (SiK) Receives the agent's commands Pixhawk 6C · PX4 Holds the drone level, flies the command, enforces the geofence The agent cannot change these limits RC IN ER8 receiver SBUS into the flight computer THE HUMAN OVERRIDE · NOT THE AGENT'S LINK RadioMaster TX16S A person holds it, the whole flight Kill switch · Return home 2.4 GHz · its own link
Two independent radios. The agent only ever asks for a goal; the flight computer decides whether it is allowed, and a human thumb outranks both.

Progress

Where the build really is

This tracker only moves when something real happens, and every finished step links to its proof: a video, a photo, or a log.

Parts list

Everything we bought, with links

Ordered September 15, 2026 — about $1,230 before shipping and tax, with the store, the price on the day, and the promo code we used.

Do it yourself

The build, step by step

Three phases, in the order we are doing them.

    ⚠️ Snags we hit on paper, so you don't hit them in the air

    ⚖️ Make it legal (US)

    Register it Over 250 g, so it needs an FAA number on DroneZone. Flying for fun Pass the free TRUST test and carry proof. Flying for a business Filmed product demos included: you need Part 107. Always in sight Keep the drone in visual line of sight, every flight.

    Building with a kid

    What a 5-year-old can really do

    Propellers stay off on the bench, and the two things that can hurt him are mine.

    Kid jobs

    • Sort the parts and count the screws
    • Match color-coded connectors, with a grown-up
    • Watch the simulator and call the next move
    • Press "take off" in the app, props off, on the bench

    Grown-ups only

    • Charging and handling LiPo batteries
    • Anything with propellers attached
    • Flying, and holding the kill switch

    Free for members

    The Drone Agent Build Kit

    The printable build guide, the full-size wiring diagram and a setup checklist — plus the full parts list above. Free account, no card.

    Free community

    Follow the build

    Each milestone reaches your inbox when it actually happens, with the build kit included. No filler between milestones.

    Follow the build (free)